From Burleigh To Cooly: The Coast Is Getting Connected

The Gold Coast light rail has already changed the way we move once, and Stage 3 is set to take it further, running from Broadbeach down to Burleigh. The next call on the table is whether the line should keep rolling all the way to Coolangatta.

If it does, the city’s map will be in for a total overhaul, with the places that have felt “too hard” to get in and around starting to feel like part of the plan: Burleigh suddenly opens up for car-free nights out, and Cooly’s live music scene and Snapper Rocks’ surf comps will slot onto the same line as Surfers. Even the airport is due to plug in, turning arrivals into an easy glide into the city rather than a fist-fight for an Uber. 

As expected, there’s been a decent amount of pushback—we've seen pinch-points in terms of construction, budget creep, and the usual questions from the community about numbers stacking up. But on the Coast, efficient transport isn’t just about keeping timetables in order. A tram that runs further south doesn’t only shave minutes; it brings entire precincts together, spreading the crowd and making daily commutes more bearable for everyone involved. For locals, that means safer streets, and precincts that feel more pedestrian than highway.

The Gold Coast has always wrestled with its identity—should it only be known as a holiday strip, or is there an opportunity to feed into the city's cultural capital, bringing hidden gems back onto the map? The light rail extension is a chance to pick a lane—if we connect all parts of our community, then the clichés of the “glitter strip” begin to fall away. 

The final verdict? Everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But here at Urban List, we think we'll take it for a ride.

Image credit: Experience Gold Coast | Instagram