Destination: The Spit
The Spit is a 5km long, relatively undeveloped, sandy isthmus with the Pacific Ocean on its eastern side and the Broadwater on the west. The Spit starts at Main Beach and finishes at the Seaway where the Broadwater debouches into the Pacific Ocean.
Going North from Main Beach, the western Broadwater area houses: the Southport Yacht Club, Fisherman's Wharf, Marina Mirage, the Southport trawler fleet, Peter's Fish & Chips, Palazzo Versace and Seaworld, as well as a large 3-4km open area with several dog exercise, picnic spots and places to put in your boat.
The eastern aspect of The Spit is almost free of development apart from the up-market, oceanfront Sheraton Mirage hotel (about 1km from Main Beach) and the Sand Bypass Jetty and Seaway entrance at the northern tip and the little Spit Cafe which serves surfers, walkers and fisherman.
The beach is a good spot to get away from the crowds, but with limited lifeguard supervision outside holiday seasons it has also proved fatal in the past. Federation Walk runs just behind the dunes on the Ocean side of The Spit, all the way from Main Beach to the Seaway.
It is an easy walk on a well-maintained crushed sandstone path and is also popular with mountain bike riders, but it can be quite hot in summer so take plenty of water. It's probably best to avoid Fedaration Walk and the Oceanside parks after dark as the eastern side of The Spit is fairly remote by city standards and completely unlit (in fact there's nothing much to see at night anyway).
The northern tip of The Spit along the Broadwater is a popular spot for surfing, picnics and fishing during the day. It's a great place to watch the jet-skiers do battle with the waves on the Seaway, and watch the surfers dodge the sharks as they paddle across to South Stradbroke Island. It also hosts the odd music festival.
Many local residents feel that the area should never be developed and with the suggestion that the Port of Gold Coast be situated on the eastern tip of The Spit the area was thrust into the spotlight.
More information on The Spit, Gold Coast
- An environmental history of the Spit by Dr Richard Whitlow (1Mb PDF format)
- Save our spit.com
- Council's history of The Spit (fascinating actually)
