Carrara, Queensland


Carrara is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2016 Census, Carrara had a population of 12,060.

Geography

Carrara is on the southern bank of the Nerang River.
It is the home of Carrara Stadium, the purpose-built cricket and Australian rules football ground where the Gold Coast Suns began playing matches in 2011. The Carrara Markets are also located in the suburb.

History

The name Carrara comes from the Aboriginal word 'Karara' meaning 'long flat'.
Carrara was first used by the Manchester Cotton Company as a cotton plantation that began in the early 1860s.

Demographics

In the, Carrara recorded a population of 11,569 people, 51.2% female and 48.8% male. The median age of the Carrara population was 38 years, 1 year above the national median of 37. 66% of people living in Carrara were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 9.5%, England 5.1%, South Africa 1.3%, Japan 0.9%, Scotland 0.8%. 85% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 1.3% Japanese, 0.8% Mandarin, 0.6% German, 0.5% French, 0.5% Italian.

Education

Carrara is home to Emmanuel College, a P-12, independent, co-educational, multi-denominational Christian school.

Sports and Entertainment Precinct

Today the land is renowned for its golf courses and other sports facilities. No fewer than five golf courses are located in the area. In 1987 Japanese Daikyo Group worked on the $50 million Palm Meadows 18-hole golf course and country club.
The Carrara Sports Precinct will also be the main stadium of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Sports

The Carrara Sports Precinct consists of a number of sports facilities located on Nerang-Broadbeach Road. Current facilities include Carrara Stadium and Carrara Indoor Stadium. Facilities that will be built in the future include Carrara Sport and Leisure Centre, a sports arena and a track & field warm-up facility. Majority of the new facilities will be built for the 2018 Commonwealth Games which will see Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Gymnastics as well as the opening and closing ceremonies held at the Carrara Sports Precinct. Following the games the precinct will become the Gold Coast's premier athletics facility along with AFL team the Gold Coast Football Club continuing to use Carrara Stadium as their home ground and training base.

Entertainment

The Carrara Entertainment Precinct is expected to be built opposite the Sports Precinct and will include a showgrounds area that will see the area host the Gold Coast Show as well as musical festivals such as Big Day Out.