Tugun, Queensland
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Tugun ( ) is a beach-side coastal
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
in the
City of Gold Coast The City of Gold Coast is the Local government in Australia, local government area spanning the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and surrounding areas. With a population of 606,774, it is the second most populous local ...
,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. In the , Tugun had a population of 7,175 people. It borders
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
. Some locals refer to the suburb by the nickname of ''Tugz'' (pronounced ).


Geography

Tugun is situated at the junction of the
Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
and Gold Coast highways north-west of
Coolangatta Coolangatta is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is the Gold Coast's southernmost suburb and it borders New South Wales. In the , Coolangatta had a population of 6,491 people. History Coolangatta is situat ...
and south of
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
, the state capital. Tugun Heights is a neighbourhood in the western and more elevated parts of the suburb (). Flat Rock is a flat rocky area along the beach that marks the boundary between Tugun and neighbouring
Currumbin Currumbin ( ) is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Currumbin had a population of 3,278 people. Geography The suburb extends from Currumbin Creek in the north to Wyberba Street in the south. The Pa ...
to the north (). Tugun Beach () extends from Flat Rock south to the boundary with neighbouring Bilinga to the south-east, although the beach itself continues along the Bilinga coast but is known there as Bilinga Beach. Tugun is a popular vacation spot, featuring several holiday units and motels along Tugun Beach. The area also boasts a variety of shops situated along its Golden-Four Drive stretch. The Jolly Swagman motel owner proposed naming the section of the former Brisbane to Sydney Highway nearest the beaches "Golden Four Drive." A new highway was constructed further to the west and the local Council consulted with the community for suggestions about naming the bypassed section of the older highway. "Golden Four" was a local name that referred to the four southern golden beaches of Tugun Beach, Bilinga Beach, North Kirra Beach (in Bilinga), and Kirra Beach (in Kirra). The
Gold Coast Oceanway The Gold Coast Oceanway is a foreshoreway for use by pedestrians and cyclists along the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia connecting the Point Danger lighthouse on the New South Wales and Queensland border to the Gold Coast Seaway. The net ...
, a
pedestrian A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, by wheelchair or with other mobility aids. Streets and roads often have a designated footpath for pedestrian traffic, called the '' sidewalk'' in North American English, the ''pavement'' in British En ...
and
cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
pathway, connects Tugun with neighbouring Currumbin and Bilinga.


History

The name ''Tugun'' is believed to have derived from an Indigenous word of unknown dialect meaning "breaking waves". Tugun Baptist Church opened in February 1925 on two parcels of land donated by Mrs J. H. Morgan. In 1959, St Monica's Catholic Church was opened, able to accommodate 150 people. In 1970, it was extended by half. In 1990, it was re-oriented and extended by half again. In 1996, St Monica's Samaritan Centre was established beside the church; it is used by
Centacare The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See. From origins as a suppressed, mainly Irish minority in early colonial times, the church has grow ...
to provided services for disabled people. Tugun Bowls Club was established in 1967. All Saints' Anglican Church was dedicated on 1 November 1980 by Bishop Administror Ralph Wicks. It was conscrecrated on 11 November 1984 by
Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
John Grindrod. Its closure on 22 September 1999 was approved by Assistant Bishop
Ron Williams Ronald Allen Williams (born 1949) is an American businessman and board director on corporate, public sector and non-profit boards. He is the former chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Aetna Inc. and is the founder, chairm ...
. The junction of the Pacific and Gold Coast highways was notoriously traffic-clogged but has improved markedly upon completion of the Tugun Bypass in June 2008.


Demographics

In the , Tugun recorded a population of 5,976 people, 51.1% female and 48.9% male. The median age of the Tugun population was 39 years, 2 years above the national median of 37. 76.1% of people living in Tugun were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 5.3%, England 4%, Scotland 0.6%, Japan 0.6%, Canada 0.5%. 89.5% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.7% Japanese, 0.5% Portuguese, 0.4% Italian, 0.4% Mandarin, 0.3% Spanish. In the , Tugun had a population of 6,588 people. In the , Tugun had a population of 7,175 people.


Heritage listings

There are a number of heritage sites in Tugun, including: * 16 San Michele Street: Ar Dee (beach house) * Toolona Street (corner Golden Four Drive): Tugun Hotel Moreton Bay Fig Tree


Education

There are no schools in Tugun. The nearest government primary school is Currumbin State School in neighbouring
Currumbin Currumbin ( ) is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Currumbin had a population of 3,278 people. Geography The suburb extends from Currumbin Creek in the north to Wyberba Street in the south. The Pa ...
to the north. The nearest government secondary school is Palm Beach - Currumbin State High School in Palm Beach to the north.


Facilities

John Flynn Private Hospital is at 42 Inland Drive (). It provides acute cardiac care in addition to general medical and surgical services.


Amenities

The
Gold Coast City Council The City of Gold Coast is the Local government in Australia, local government area spanning the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and surrounding areas. With a population of 606,774, it is the second most populous local ...
operated a fortnightly
mobile library A bookmobile, or mobile library, is a vehicle designed for use as a library. They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service. Boo ...
service which visited Station Street and Toolona Street, but this was paused indefinitely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. St Monica's Catholic Church is at 485 Golden Four Drive (). The Living Template Church (formerly Tugun Baptist Church) is at 24 Toolona Street (). Tugun Bowls Club is in Kaleena Street (). It has three
lawn bowling Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...
greens with restaurant and bar facilities available to members and visitors. Tugun Surf Lifesaving Club is on the beachfront at 29 O'Connor Street (). In addition to patrolling the beach in the warmer months, the club also participates in lifesaving sports events and has bistro and bar facilities. A number of well-known sporting teams represent the local area, including the
Tugun Seahawks The Tugun Seahawks are a rugby league club based in the Gold Coast suburb of Tugun. Their home ground (Betty Diamond Complex) is adjacent to Gold Coast Airport and their colours are Blue & White. The Seahawks' first season in the Gold Coast ...
, the local
rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...
club who play home games at Betty Diamond Complex. Other amenities in the suburb include the Tugun Tavern.


Parks

There are a number of parks in the area: * Admiral Crescent Reserve () * Alex Griffiths Park () * Blamey Park () * Boyd Park () * Golden Four Park () * Honeymoon Tree Park () * Inland Drive Reserve () * Irene Street Reserve () * Kropp Park () * Kurrawong Park () * Littleford Family Park () * Mulberry Parade Reserve () * Rosewater Reserve () * Singh Park () * Starfish Court Parklands () * Toolona Park () * Triton Parade Reserve () * Tugun Hill Conservation Area () * Tugun Park () * Wyberba Street Parklands ()


Notable people

*
Schapelle Corby Schapelle Leigh Corby (born 10 July 1977) is an Australian woman who was convicted of drug smuggling, smuggling cannabis into Indonesia. She spent nine years imprisoned on the Indonesian island of Bali in Kerobokan Prison. Since her arrest, Cor ...
, convicted drug trafficker, lived in Tugun


See also

* Tugun Bypass


References


Sources

*


External links


University of Queensland: Queensland Places: TugunHeritage Tours - Tugun
(Gold Coast City Council)
Photographs of Tugun and Currumbin taken in the 1930's
State Library of Queensland State Library of Queensland (State Library) is the state public reference and research library of Queensland, Australia, operated by the Government of Queensland, state government. The Library is governed by the Library Board of Queensland, whi ...
{{Localities in Gold Coast Suburbs of the Gold Coast, Queensland Coastline of Queensland