Australia’s Gold Coast is scorching for a retro-cool aesthetic. Right here’s all you’ll want to find out about this mid-century-modern second.
Pink geometric tiles, peppermint-patterned wall paint, rattan furnishings, striped seaside towels, longboards, classic bicycles, neon indicators and tiki cocktail glasses… You would possibly suppose you’ve landed in Sixties California, however no: you’re witnessing the reclamation of Australia’s retro-cool Gold Coast.
Made well-known by the seashores of Surfers Paradise, the Gold Coast grew to become an iconic Australian road-trip vacation spot within the Sixties on the similar time Hollywood stars had been flocking to the desert oasis of Palm Springs. And like its mid-century-modern California counterpart, Queensland’s Gold Coast is having one thing of a cultural second proper now. (It even stood in for Memphis and Las Vegas in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 Elvis biopic).
So why is the Gold Coast booming?
First, there’s the inflow of individuals: most of Queensland’s latest residents are transferring right here. Second, new luxurious lodging developments are showing, with the glamorous Langham not too long ago becoming a member of established lodges just like the JW Marriott, Palazzo Versace and the QT. In 2027, the tremendous high-end St. Regis resort will open at Budds Seaside on the Gold Coast – an Australian first.
On the extra modestly priced finish of the vacation market, one other development has emerged, one steeped in nostalgia for Nineteen Fifties, ’60s and ’70s seaside tradition.
Throughout the area, Gold Coast locals are retrofitting motels and seaside homes. They’re additionally reclaiming outdated buildings, akin to Burleigh Heads’s iconic Seaside Pavilion, which sits above a Nineteen Fifties public swimming pool. Elsewhere, you’ll discover traditional cocktails on the menu (piña coladas, anybody?) and interiors embellished with the mid-century trendy aesthetic.
The MCM vibe is characterised by spaciousness, indoor-outdoor residing and a way of vitality and optimism – all of which aptly seize the Gold Coast.
Why is Australia obsessive about mid-century modernism?
Ever since Mad Males introduced the American mid-century-modern aesthetic to a up to date viewers, its fandom has grown – as has the need to protect what has been spared by the developer’s wrecking ball.
Social-media platforms like Instagram – the place aesthetics are as essential as experiences – have had an element to play within the MCM revival, too.
And across the globe, communities of MCM followers have come collectively on-line to share info and recommendation, all the pieces from the newest mid-century property listings to authentication of furnishings finds at classic markets.
Why the Gold Coast and why now?
For over two years, Australians weren’t in a position to jet abroad – which meant they hit the street to go to locations they’d beforehand missed. Many have been swept up in a sense of nostalgia by heading again to the Gold Coast, as they recreated childhood holidays on the seaside.
Lockdowns additionally gave enterprise homeowners a second to take inventory. Diane from La Costa Motel explains: “We had been at all times an airport motel being so near the Gold Coast Airport. When COVID hit, we spent that point rebranding – so it wasn’t simply an airport motel, it was a cool retro spot that you can escape to.
“Right here now we have no lifts like the large high-rises, and we provide complimentary bike rent and seaside towels (how usually will we overlook them!). And we wish to deal with our company like they’re our favourite relations coming to remain.”
Has the Gold Coast at all times been in style?
The Gold Coast has at all times been a well-liked vacation spot for Aussies in search of the winter solar, households heading to its thrilling theme parks and up to date graduates celebrating the start of their new lives. From the Nineteen Nineties onwards, nevertheless, low cost worldwide air journey additionally made it doable to move to low-cost economies in Southeast Asia and the Pacific as an alternative.
After the pandemic, Australians have a significantly better appreciation for what is correct on their doorstep in southern Queensland: a coast dotted with unbelievable locations to remain inside a stone’s throw of powder-soft surf seashores, plus lush rainforests, mountains and waterfalls close by.
With its reclamation of all the pieces retro-cool, the Gold Coast is luring vacationers on the lookout for one thing that you could’t get simply anyplace.
