If I Only Had a Heart: A History of the Gold Coast and its Economy

Abstract

Over its history, the Gold Coast’s economic development has been based on four key elements: first, accessible natural resources and prime growing conditions; second, population growth; third, the creation of access-enabling infrastructure; and fourth, entrepreneurialism. This story begins in 1823, with Oxley, Stirling and Uniacke’s exploration of the coast south from Stradbroke Island to the Tweed River and the subsequent arrival of the region’s early British and European settlers and then the creation of a string of timber, farming, mining, and fishing communities from the Logan River in the north to Coolangatta in the south, and to Beechmont in the west.