A very local publication · Gold Coast, Australia
Paradise has a personality disorder.
An occasionally affectionate, frequently accurate look at life on Australia's Gold Coast.
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About us · The story behind the satire
It started with a man running on a balcony.
A little grief. A little sunshine. A very unexpected idea.
Gold Coast Things wasn't born in a newsroom or at a marketing meeting. It began after an extraordinarily difficult chapter of life — losing my parents and my best friend, then moving to the Gold Coast in search of a fresh start.
We came for a little YOLO. But somewhere between leaving behind the familiar, finding our feet without jobs or routine, and learning to live alongside grief, the fresh start didn't feel quite as effortless as it looked from the outside.
Nearly a year into life here, I was diagnosed with PMDD. With a treatment plan in place, the gym became part of finding my rhythm again.
Then, on the way home one sunny morning, I spotted a shirtless man running on his apartment balcony. In full view of the world. Without a hint of embarrassment. Our building had a beautiful rooftop gym, and the Broadwater was right there — yet this man had committed completely to his balcony treadmill moment.
I couldn't stop thinking about it. And then I couldn't stop laughing.
Not at him. At the wonderfully peculiar things we all do — especially in a place as spectacular, contradictory and character-filled as the Gold Coast.
And just like that, Gold Coast Things began.
Our mission · Laughing together, never down
Find the funny. Keep the kindness.
We believe you can love a place deeply and still laugh at everything that makes it wonderfully ridiculous.
Gold Coast Things celebrates the people, rituals, contradictions and everyday moments that make life here unlike anywhere else. From luxury apartments and morning matchas to weather complaints, beach culture and the endless quest for a car park — nobody, including us, is above a little gentle observation.
Our humour is inclusive, affectionate and never intended to shame. We laugh with people, not at them. We make room for different backgrounds, different lives and the occasional spectacularly questionable choice.
Because sometimes a shared laugh can make a hard day lighter, help strangers feel connected and remind us that we're all just figuring it out in paradise.
ObserveSpot the funny in everyday Gold Coast life.
IncludeMake people feel part of the joke, never the target.
ConnectTurn local moments into laughs worth sharing.
From the editorial desk
Things we can't unsee.
Everyone on the Gold Coast knows at least eleven real estate agents.
Some of them are the same person.Sunshine State files formal complaint against cloud cover.
Developing, probably.Sample headlines. Follow our Instagram for published posts.
For brands with a sense of humour
Advertise without being boring.
Gold Coast Things is building a local audience around sharp, shareable satire. We love partnerships that feel like part of the joke — not an interruption to it.
Interested in collaborating?
Tell us about your business, your audience and what you have in mind.
You couldn't make this stuff up. Or could you?
What's the most Gold Coast thing you've seen today?
Caught a caravan doing 85 in the right lane? An ibis mugging a tourist for a chip? A man on a balcony treadmill with a rooftop gym upstairs? Send it in. If it makes the feed, you get the credit.
Submit a thing
Photo or short clip, plus a few details. Takes about a minute. Slightly less than finding a park at Burleigh.
House rules (the kindness bit)
- Film the situation, not someone's worst moment. No faces caught mid-embarrassment, no number plates, no kids.
- Only send things you filmed yourself.
- Please don't film while driving. Fred the Grey Nomad can wait.
Clip bigger than 10 MB? Paste a Google Drive, iCloud or WeTransfer link in the form instead, or send it as an Instagram DM ↗. Old school? info@goldcoastthings.com