List of tallest buildings on the Gold Coast

1950s–1970s

The coastal areas south of Brisbane, which became known as the South Coast, and eventually the Gold Coast, had been a destination for beach holidaymakers since the late 19th century. The area of Surfers Paradise was originally called Elston, but was changed to its current name in 1933 as the local council felt that it was more marketable.^[1] The Gold Coast region grew as a tourist destination, and became known for its beach tourist resorts. The first high-rise to be built in the city is considered to be Kinkabool, a ten-storey apartment building, completed between 1959 and 1960.^[2][3] This marked the beginning of a boom in high-rise holiday apartments and hotels.

The high-rise development boom continued in the 1970s.^[4] Focus, completed in 1976, was the first building to have over 30 stories and exceed a height of 100 metres (328 ft) in the city. The building's circular form resulted in the lifts being centrally located and the fire stars being built in an unusual ‘scissor’ style. Each one of the 123 units offered a 270 degree view of the surrounding coastline and hinterland, while a helipad designed rooftop provided the highest vantage point in Surfers Paradise at the time.^[5]

1980s–1990s

The city's high-rise boom persisted in the 1980s, spurred by Japanese property investment^[6] and the opening of the Gold Coast Airport in 1981. Buildings that exceeded 100 m (328 ft) in height became increasingly more common, such as the Atlantis Apartments complex, Surfers Aquarius, and Breakfree Peninsula, which overtook Focus to be the Gold Coast's tallest building at 137 m (449 ft) in 1982.

Breakfree Peninsula was surpassed a decade later by The Grand Mariner at 139 m (456 ft), completed in 1992. The Grand Mariner is known for its distinctive purple exterior, which included "barossa purple, beulah pink, tanunda pink, mariner pink, and blue mood" at the time of completion. It underwent a facelift in 2015, reducing the number of colours to four and making the building take on a lighter appearance.^[7] An economic recession in the 1990s led to a slowdown in high-risedevelopment for the rest of the decade,^[8] and up until the early 2000s.

2000s–2010s

By the mid-2000s, another real estate boom on the Gold Coast was taking shape.^[9][10] The city's tallest building, the supertall skyscraper Q1, was completed in 2005. It was the tallest building in the southern hemisphere as well as the tallest residential building in the world at the time, and remains the tallest in Australia today. Its form, with a slanted roof, was inspired by the Sydney Opera House as well as the Olympic torch in the 2000 Olympics that had taken place five years prior in Sydney.^[11] The skyscraper has an observation deck, known as SkyPoint (formerly QDeck), which allows views of the Gold Coast skyline, as well as Brisbane to the north.

High-rise development had also spread to the suburb of Southport, north of Surfers Paradise. The Southport Central residential complex was among the first buildings to exceed a height of 100 m (328 ft) in the suburb. The 55-storey Sundale Apartments, built by billionaire developer Harry Triguboff for $400 million,^[12] is now the tallest building in the area.

2020s

The Gold Coast has continued to boom in the 2020s, owing to a healthy increase in population and economic growth.^[13][14][15] The 265 m (868 ft) tall mixed-use Ocean was completed in 2022, becoming the city's second tallest building.^[16] The suburb of Broadbeach, in particular, has been undergoing a residential high-rise development^[17] extending the Gold Coast's skyline southwards. The tallest building in the suburb, Epsilon, was built in 2025 at a height of 216 m (709 ft). It joins other skyscrapers completed in Broadbeach in the 2020s, such as The Dorsett and Star Residences, 272 Hedges Avenue, and Infinity Tower. A 212 m (696 ft) tower is further proposed on the site of a 16-storey hotel built in the 1980s.^[18] Burleigh Heads, to the south of Broadbeach, has also been receiving an influx of high-rises, with projects such as Norfolk and Natura.^[19]

While Q1 is currently the city's only supertall skyscraper, future developments could increase that number significantly. Under construction is the Cypress Palms complex, consisting of two 76-storey and 90-storey buildings. The latter will reach a height of 305 m (1,001 ft), becoming the city's second tallest skyscraper when complete. The project is being developed by Meriton, whose managing director, Harry Triguboff, has had a role in the development of over twenty high-rise buildings in the city.^[20][21] In 2025, renderings were released for a project of two slender skyscrapers in Southport. Named One Park Lane, the tallest of the towers, at 393 m (1,289 ft), would overtake Q1 as the tallest building on the Gold Coast and in Australia.^[22][23][24]

By suburb

Surfer's Paradise	Broadbeach	Southport	Runaway Bay
500m 545yds 55 54 51 49 48 46 43 42 37 36 35 33 30 29 25 24 22 17 16 15 14 12 11 9 6 4 3 2 1     Buildings taller than 100 m (328 ft)  1970s   1980s   1990s   2000s   2010s   2020s  1 Q1 2 Ocean 3 Soul 4 Circle on Cavill North Tower 6 Hilton Surfers Hotel & Residences Orchid Tower 9 Jewel Hotel 11 Skyline North Tower 12 Circle on Cavill South Tower 14 Skyline Tower 15 Jewel North Tower 16 The Grand Mariner 17 Breakfree Peninsula 22 The Mantra Sun City 24 Rhapsody Surfers North 25 Skyline Central 29 Jewel Beach Tower 30 Hilton Surfers Hotel & Residences – Boulevard Tower 33 Fifty Cavill Avenue 35 Imperial Surf 36 Surfers Aquarius 37 Contessa Apartments 42 Atlantis Apartments East 43 Atlantis Apartments West 46 Marriott Hotel Resort 48 Avalon Riverfront Apartments 49 Courtyard Surfers Paradise Resort 51 Focus 54 Pearl 55 Axis Tower	500m 545yds 57 56 50 47 41 40 39 38 32 21 20 19 18 13 10 7 5     Buildings taller than 100 m (492 ft)  1990s   2000s   2010s   2020s  5 Epsilon 7 The Dorsett and Star Residences 10 The Oracle Beach Tower 13 272 Hedges Ave 18 The Oracle – Hinterland Tower 19 Infinity Tower 20 Air on Broadbeach 21 Qube Broadbeach 32 Signature Broadbeach 38 Luxe Broadbeach 39 Belle Maison 40 Avani Broadbeach Residences 41 The Wave 47 Carmel by the Sea 50 Remi Residences 56 Marella by Mosaic 57 Ultra Broadbeach	500m 545yds 58 45 44 31 28 27 26 23 8     Buildings taller than 100 m (492 ft)  2000s   2010s   2020s  8 Sundale Apartments 23 Southport Central Tower B 26 Southport Central Tower A 27 Southport Central Tower C 28 Pivotal Point 31 Victoria Towers 44 Sky Broadwater 45 Shores 58 Marina Tower	500m 545yds 53 52     Buildings taller than 100 m (492 ft)  1980s   1990s  52 Broadwater Tower 53 Bayview Towers

Under construction

The following table ranks skyscrapers that are under construction on the Gold Coast that are expected to be at least 100 m (328 ft) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion. Buildings that are on hold are not included.

Approved

The following table ranks approved skyscrapers on the Gold coast that are expected to be at least 150 m (394 ft) tall as of 2026, based on standard height measurement. The “Year” column indicates the expected year of completion. A dash “–“ indicates information about the building's height or year of completion is not available.