Archaeological evidence suggests Indigenous Australians inhabited the area for more than ten thousand years before European settlement.

Gardiner built a house and wharf on the river end of Queen Street which later led to the Loder family and several others following his lead and building in the area.

The settlement was surveyed in 1874 and the area was renamed Southport because it was the southernmost port of the colony of Queensland and took inspiration from the English seaside town.

In 1877 German immigrant Johan Meyer acquired James Beattie's land at Narrow Neck and started a private ferry service that transported Southport residents to the beachside area that was named Elston shortly after.

As a result, the coastal area of Southport gained the reputation of being a fashionable seaside resort for Brisbane's wealthy and influential but was only accessible by boat for the most part.

In 1922 the Queensland State Government purchased a Nerang Street site for £1737 and opened the Gold Coast Hospital shortly after.

[5] Although the city had experienced several name changes and extending of boundaries by the 1960s, Southport was still considered to be the major hub for businesses on the Gold Coast.

[8] In July 2015, Gold Coast City Council figures showed $2.5 billion of developments had been submitted towards the revitalisation of the CBD.

[11] In August 2017, it was revealed Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate had submitted a proposal to the Queensland Government to allow a tender process to build a casino resort on a seven hectare CBD site on the corners of Queen and Scarborough Streets.

[14][15] In April 2021, Tom Tate revealed the $380 million 'Towers of Power' project for the CBD which was designed to house all of the city's government and legal workers as well as new supreme and federal courts.

The Mayor of the Gold Coast is based at the Southport Town Hall along Nerang Street inside the CBD boundaries.

Tertiary education inside the CBD boundaries is provided by Evocca College, Gold Coast Institute of TAFE and Central Queensland University.

In December 1938, President Norman Woodroffe handed over the keys of the Southport School of Arts to the Returned Servicemen's League.

The CBD loop takes 30 minutes and passes the Town Hall, the Catholic Church and the former railway station among other historical sites.

It was located on 5 hectares (12 acres) of prime real estate facing the Broadwater which was previously the site of the popular Southport Hotel.

The area is now home to the Meriton Brighton on Broadwater development, a mix of high and low rise buildings together with trendy eateries and some retail outlets.

In more recent years another a time capsule was discovered on the Sundale site which was buried when the mall was originally constructed.

James Overall Park is located at the southern tip of the CBD boundary along Brighton Parade and houses the Eagles Rugby Union Club.

Queens Park hosts the prestigious Rose Bowl Championships each year and held exhibition matches with the Australian Davis Cup team in the late 1950s.

In recent years, the club has produced professional top 10 tennis players such as Samantha Stosur and Bernard Tomic.

In March 1982, the Gold Coast Australian Football League pulled off a major coup by arranging a VFL exhibition match between Footscray and Geelong at Owen Park.

The Gold Coast Parklands racing facilities were built in 1988 and by 1989 Owen Park was left one sports tenant, the Southport Tigers.

Woodroffe Park, located in the centre of the CBD on Lawson Street, offers public basketball courts and grass areas.

The Southport Sharks, who were once based just outside the CBD boundaries at Owen Park but now reside 3 kilometres west of the Broadwater Parklands northern tip, have a long history of producing AFL players, the most notable being St Kilda legend Nick Riewoldt, the first and only Queenslander to be taken with the number 1 pick in the AFL draft.

In 1964, the South Coast railway line was closed due to the increasing popularity of the motor car and financial losses.

The Gold Coast Highway enters the CBD from Main Beach in south-east and the Sundale Bridge signifies the southern entrance into the city.

The Gold Coast Highway also enters the CBD from Labrador in the north-east and Loders Creek Bridge signifies the northern entrance into the city.