Beach resort morphology

Abstract

The Queensland Gold Coast in eastern Australia has emerged as a major tourist area since World War II. The twin towns of Coolangatta — Tweed Heads and Southport — Surfers Paradise at either end of the complex display distinctive morphological features reflecting the attraction of the beaches, the importance of terrain and routeways, and the influence of pre-resort form and function. Pronounced functional zonation occurs in the general alignment of land-use parallel to the seafront, and the location of the Recreational Business District relative to the commercial core is characteristic of beach resorts studied in Britain and North America.