Southport, Gold Coast: neighborhood guide

Southport is the Gold Coast's central business district, sitting at the northern end of the strip where the Nerang River meets the Broadwater. It is a working city centre rather than a resort: office towers, a hospital and health precinct, government offices, a large shopping mall, and a grid of low-rise apartments and older houses behind them. Driving through, you could pass it without noticing you were in the CBD.

The waterfront is the Broadwater Parklands, a long stretch of grass, playgrounds and calm swimming enclosure on the Broadwater side. There is no surf beach in Southport itself; the open ocean beaches start at Main Beach to the east and Surfers Paradise to the south. That calm water is why families with small children often prefer it.

The other anchor is Chinatown, a small precinct on Davenport and Young Streets established in the 1990s, with Asian restaurants of several cuisines. It is compact, not a sight in itself, but it is the reason the area eats well and cheaply.

Southport works as a base when you want the tram, a supermarket, a food court and a room that costs less than a beachfront one. The G:link light rail runs through the CBD, so Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach and the hospital precinct are all a short ride away without a car. If you are staying a week or more, or travelling with children, that combination is hard to beat.

It does not work if your picture of the Gold Coast is a balcony over the sand. There is no surf out the front, the evenings are quiet compared with Surfers Paradise, and the CBD empties after office hours. For a two- or three-night first visit built around the beach and nightlife, stay in Surfers Paradise or Broadbeach instead and visit Southport for a meal.

If you are weighing it against the northern suburbs, Southport has more services and better transport; the northern suburbs have the theme parks and quieter streets.

The eating is concentrated in two places: the Chinatown strip on Davenport and Young Streets, and the food court and casual restaurants inside Australia Fair on Marine Parade. Between them you can eat Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese within a few blocks, which is unusual for the Gold Coast outside Broadbeach.

For a pub meal, the Cecil Hotel on Nerang Street is a heritage-listed Art Deco building from 1908, rebuilt in 1938, now a bistro and sports bar opposite the Southport tram stop. It is the obvious choice for a family dinner or a beer while watching sport.

Note that individual venues open and close often on the Gold Coast; check hours on the day, especially on Sundays and public holidays.

By tram, the G:link light rail is the simplest way in. Stops in and around Southport include Broadwater Parklands on Queen Street, Southport South, Southport itself in the CBD, Nerang Street (mainly for the health precinct) and Queen Street. From Surfers Paradise it is a short ride north; from Broadbeach, longer but still direct. Fares are on the TransLink go card or a contactless card; check the current fare and tap rules before you travel.

By car, the Smith Street Motorway connects the Pacific Motorway (M1) with Southport; from Surfers Paradise or Broadbeach, follow the Gold Coast Highway north. Parking in the CBD is metered and fills up on weekdays, so a hotel with its own parking is worth the extra cost if you are driving.

By air, Gold Coast Airport at Coolangatta is the main gateway; Brisbane Airport is a longer but often cheaper option, with a train and bus connection south. Check current timetables and fares, as both change.