Broadbeach Monorail

Broadbeach Monorail
The Broadbeach Monorail in May 2015
Overview
StatusDismantled
LocaleBroadbeach, Queensland
Stations3
Service
TypeStraddle-beam monorail loop
Operator(s)Oasis Shopping Centre[1]
History
Opened29 August 1989 (29 August 1989)
Closed29 January 2017 (29 January 2017)
Technical
Line length1.3 km (0.81 mi)[2]
ElectrificationVon Roll Mark III[3]
Route map

 Beachside
Sofitel
Jupiter's Casino

The Broadbeach Monorail (also referred to as the Oasis Monorail) was a 1.3-kilometre (0.81 mi) monorail that was based out of the Oasis Shopping Centre in the Gold Coast suburb of Broadbeach, Queensland. It was one of two monorail systems operating on the Gold Coast (the other being the system at Sea World).[4]

History

The Broadbeach Monorail (originally known as the Gol'Coasta and later the Oasis Skylink) opened alongside the Oasis Shopping Centre on 29 August 1989.[5] It had two stations located inside the shopping centre, first departing at the Sofitel hotel chain on level 2, followed by a station on level 3, before travelling over the Gold Coast Highway to reach a third station at Jupiter's Hotel & Casino.[2]

In 2001, the operators of the Broadbeach Monorail acquired the majority of the track and the trains from the monorail system at the Merry Hill Shopping Centre in England, which had closed five years prior.[6][7]

The monorail temporarily closed in October 2013 because of a mechanical fault, reopening to passengers more than a year later on 18 December 2014.[8] The carriages were refurbished as part of the maintenance.[8]

It was announced in December 2016 that the Broadbeach Monorail would permanently close because of increased maintenance requirements and declining patronage.[1] The final service was on 29 January 2017 at 4:30pm.[9][10] Most of the track was removed by mid-2017.[1][10]

Following the monorail's closure, the carriages were taken to storage in Arundel because an initial buyer intended to use them for a new theme park; however, the theme park never eventuated.[11][12] In 2022, they were put up for sale by Lloyds Auctions, with one carriage purchased by Keith Tucker, a resident of Bathurst, New South Wales.[13] Tucker stated he intended to convert it into a bar and lounge for vistors to his property, which is located on the Conrod Straight of the Mount Panorama Circuit.[14][15]

Services and operations

The Broadbeach Monorail had three stations: Sofitel (named after the hotel chain) on level 2 of the shopping centre, Beachside on level 3 of the shopping centre, and Jupiter's Casino (named after the resort).[2] Services operated from 10am until 10pm between Sundays and Thursdays, with extended services from 10am until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.[2] It took 15 minutes to complete the full route, travelling at a speed of 4.5 metres (15 ft) per second.[2]

In 2016, it cost A$4 to ride the monorail (per ride), with children under the age of seven able to ride for free.[2] Services were free for the final two days of the monorail's operation.[1][9]

At the time of its closure, there were two vehicles (each with four cars) operating on the monorail.[2]

Proposed extensions

There were discussions in the late 1980s around making the Broadbeach Monorail a 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) that would travel through the Gold Coast corridor.[3]

In 2000, Gold Coast City Council investigated the possibility of extending the service to the Pacific Fair shopping centre, with a map of the proposal published in 2003, but it did not occur.[16][17] There was also a proposal for an extension to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.[3][18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jackson, Cam (27 January 2017). "Gold Coast Monorail To Close This Weekend". MyGC. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Broadbeach Monorail". Oasis Shopping Centre. Archived from the original on 1 August 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  3. ^ a b c "Oasis-Jupiter". The Monorail Society. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  4. ^ Forbes, Tom (6 May 2022). "Sea World monorail future unclear after carriages removed from Gold Coast theme park to be destroyed". ABC News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  5. ^ "Centre Information". Oasis Shopping Centre. Archived from the original on 12 March 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  6. ^ "Miscellaneous". Andy Williams railway photos. 2005. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2026. It had been out of use for five years when it was dismantled in 2001. The equipment was sold to the operators of the Broadbeach system in Australia.
  7. ^ "Remembering the Merry Hill Monorail". Railways and Randomness. 30 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  8. ^ a b Larkins, Damien (4 December 2014). "Monorail to ride again at Broadbeach". ABC Gold Coast. Archived from the original on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  9. ^ a b "We have so much happening at The Oasis". Facebook. Oasis Shopping Centre. 28 January 2017. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026. Last ride is tomorrow (Sunday) at 4.30pm.
  10. ^ a b Dyer, Nicole; Larkins, Damien (30 January 2017). "Broadbeach monorail closes after almost three decades in service". ABC News. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  11. ^ Dyer, Nicole; Forbes, Tom; Webster, Kirsten (3 May 2022). "Decommissioned Gold Coast monorail carriages on track to become holiday accommodation in NSW". ABC News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  12. ^ "Back to the future, not: Age of Gold Coast's monorails well and truly over". InDaily. 30 May 2022. Archived from the original on 8 March 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  13. ^ "GC Monorail Looks for New Home". Lloyds Auctions. May 2022. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  14. ^ Craill, Richard (6 September 2022). "Mount Panorama's new monorail". The Race Torque. Archived from the original on 12 September 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  15. ^ "You will never guess where the Oasis Monorail has turned up". Gold Coast Magazine. 11 October 2024. Archived from the original on 15 August 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  16. ^ "Minutes of the Council Meeting". City of Gold Coast. 4 September 2000. p. 8. Archived from the original on 27 May 2026. Retrieved 27 May 2026. Consideration of the extension of the existing monorail to service Pacific Fair
  17. ^ "Broadbeach LAP MAP 2.2 Precinct (Version 1.0)" (PDF). City of Gold Coast. 2003. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  18. ^ Ward, James (31 May 2022). "Buy your own genuine, bona fide, electrified monorail". Drive. Archived from the original on 22 July 2025. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
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