The suburb extends from Currumbin Creek in the north to Wyberba Street in the south. The Pacific Motorway bounds the suburb to the west and the Coral Sea to the east. The Gold Coast Highway enters the suburb from the north and exits to the south. The highway is characterised by commercial development along much of its route, but this is absent in Currumbin where the highway winds through bushland over the headland through the Currumbin Hill Conservation Park and then past the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Along the coast, Currumbin Rock on Currumbin Point on the southside of the mouth of Currumbin Creek is the start of Currumbin Beach, a surf beach, which extends to Elephant Rock. Currumbin Alley is a popular surfing site formed on the bar of Currumbin Creek, particularly well-suited for longboards. Some properties to the south are only separated from the beach by an undeveloped public road reserve and the elevated land provides opportunities for views unusual at the coast. The Currumbin Valley Reserve is located west of Currumbin. Of late, developments in the area have started to destroy the natural rainforests and wildlife. The Gold Coast Oceanway follows a beachfront alignment around Currumbin Alley and along Currumbin Beach. Between Tomewin Street and Flat Rock the current Oceanway pavements swing inland along Temmangum Street. The Currumbin Rock Pools are a popular swimming hole in the upper part of Currumbin Creek. The City Council dredges the entrance of Currumbin Creek each year for flood mitigation, water quality, beach nourishment and navigation.
History
Currumbin takes its name from a farming settlement, later also used as a railway station name. The name Currumbin is from the Bundjalung language, which means either high or high trees or may be a corruption of kurrohmin meaning kangaroo. Samuel William Grey was the first European to acquire land in the area. Currumbin Creek Provisional School opened circa 1896 and closed in 1905. In 1904, Isle, Love and Co advertised the first subdivisions in Currumbin. Currumbin Lower State School opened on 29 January 1909. In 1924 the school was renamed Currumbin State School. The first hotel was built by Wallace McDonald Nicoll in 1910 on Duringan Street overlooking the mouth of the Currumbin Creek. During this period tourism and industry significantly increased in the beach side and valley areas of Currumbin. Many of the houses at Currumbin date from the period of later subdivisions in the 1920s. The area also contains a number of fibro beach houses. Since then later development has occurred including some high rise backing onto the hillside at Pacific Parade. The Beeches State School opened on 1 June 1925 and closed on 12 March 1948. Ridgetop Provisional School opened on 4 October 1928. In 1933 it was replaced by Ridgetop State School. It closed on 23 July 1967. Generally the area contains more natural vegetation than other areas of the coast due in part to the difficulty of building on the steep hillsides and in part to the presence of the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary - a long-standing icon and landmark at the Gold Coast. The Sanctuary comprises a substantial area of land on both sides of the highway adjacent to Flat Rock Creek. Palm Beach Currumbin State High School opened on 24 January 1972 in neighbouring Palm Beach. At the, Currumbin had a population of 2,785. In 2013, Currumbin was named Australia's cleanest beach by the national organisation Keep Australia Beautiful. At an award ceremony in the City of Cockburn in Western Australia, Currumbin was commended in particular for its excellence in community involvement and partnerships. In the, Currumbin had a population of 2,920 people.
Currumbin State School is a government primary school for boys and girls at 6 Philip Street. In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 1089 students with 73 teachers and 32 non-teaching staff. It includes a special education program. There is no secondary school in Currumbin but Palm Beach Currumbin State High School is in Palm Beach just across the Currumbin Creek with a bridge connection on Thrower Drive.
Each year during September, the Swell Sculpture Festival is held along the Oceanway at Currumbin between Currumbin Creek and Elephant Rock. Elephant rock becomes a pedestal for a signature artwork. Other artwork is spread out along the Oceanway pavements and upon the beach and dune areas. Artwork from the festival often finds its way onto display on public and private spaces across the Gold Coast region including a horse in the park at Broadbeach, Fish along the foreshore at Harley Park, Pelicans along the bank of Currumbin Creek, a seal mother and pup along the Oceanway at Miami, a ship up on Point Danger and a metal goddess within a subdivision at Reedy Creek. Nearby the Currumbin In The Bin short film festival usually coincides with the Swell Sculpture festival held in the carpark opposite the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Demographics
In the, Currumbin recorded a population of 2,785 people, 50.9% female and 49.1% male. The median age of the Currumbin population was 41 years, 4 years above the national median of 37. 73.7% of people living in Currumbin were born in Australia. The other top responses for country of birth were New Zealand 5%, England 4.5%, South Africa 1.1%, United States of America 1%, Scotland 0.7%. 88.4% of people spoke only English at home; the next most common languages were 0.5% Portuguese, 0.5% Japanese, 0.5% Swedish, 0.5% Italian, 0.5% Spanish.
