Advancetown Lake on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

History beneath the water. A crucial Gold Coast lake

Beneath the water on our homepage lies the site of the original settlement of Advancetown on Australia’s Gold Coast. European settlement of Advancetown is said to have begun in 1881, slowly developing timberyards, farmland and even a local school. Fast forward a century, however, and once the Hinze Dam had completed construction in 1977, not only had the school closed, but farming residents relocated and the once booming timber industry declined. With the original settlement submerged, a new township has been established above the lake, which according to 2011 Census data, has a population of 352 people. Today, Advancetown Lake and Hinze Dam – named in honour of the Hinze family who lived in the valley that was flooded by the dam – provide much-needed water to many areas of the Gold Coast region.