Gold Coast

1972 - 1988

Changes in landcover associated with the growth of Urbanisation in south-east Queensland must not only include the city of Brisbane but also the City of Gold Coast. This city is a modern recreational and urban development that hugs the beautiful coastline between Coolangatta - Tweed Heads and the tip of south Stradbroke Island.

Three Landsat FCC images of the city of Gold Coast: November 11, 1972; November 11, 1988 and the 1972-1988 Difference. The total area of each image is ~1,716 km2. These images are a subset of the ones used for Brisbane.

Use your browser to open each image in a new window to compare them.

The original eucalypt forested landcover has been cleared for agriculture (pastures, crops) and some urban expansion along each of the major valley bottoms. The remaining native cover is restricted to the steep uplands, and in this image approximates 50% of the landcover.

An eyeball comparison of the 1972, 1988 and Difference images shows both an intensification and an expansion of Urbanisation. New roads have been made, a new water storage dam filled and there are increased signs of human-made change that are obvious from space. The Difference FCC image shows that the landcover change has occurred, like Brisbane, mostly along the periphery of the existing urban development. It is obvious that during this period, the urban fringe of the city of Gold Coast has effectively joined with that of Brisbane. It is a reasonable interpretation that all this change is urban change.

The Gold Coast Difference image contains a six line striping artefact that is difficult to remove. It is particularly noticeable in the ocean. Nonetheless, if you closely examine the Pacific Ocean in the Difference FCC image, you can detect a long north-south linear feature. This is the wake of a ship. I point this out to indicate how small changes, particularly linear ones, can be detected with the simple methods of analysis used in this book.

In summary

The view from space of Brisbane and the Gold Coast provides an interesting overview of a rapidly growing urban area. Brisbane and Perth compete for the highest growth rates in Australia. The spectral and spatial patterns of Brisbane corroborate the statistics of housing density and transport patterns, and together confirm Brisbane as a Car City. The Gold Coast is a remarkable example of a Strip City; a ribbon of urban development hugging the natural features of the coastline.

The expansion of Urbanisation for both cities is similar to that found in Canberra and Sydney; concentrated areas of urban development on the periphery of the established suburbs. For Brisbane, this is particularly so in the south and north. For the Gold Coast, this pattern is in the west; in concentric layers away from the desirable coastline. Like Sydney more than Canberra, some urban expansion in Brisbane and the Gold Coast shows itself in the creation of hobby farms. Typically, only a very small area of agricultural landcover is converted irreversibly to urban landcover but it is apparent in the view from space that this is associated with a fragmentation of the landscape.