The name Carrara comes from the Aboriginal word Karara meaning long flat.[5]
Carrara was first used by the Manchester Cotton Company as a cotton plantation that began in the early 1860s.[5]
Carrara Provisional School opened in February 1902 on premises lent by farmer Francis Parr until a permanent building could be constructed on land donated by farmer William Lees.[6] Tenders were called for the building in October 1902 with the tender being awarded in February 1903 to carpenters John Lather & Sons of Southport.[7][8] On 1 January 1909 it became Carrara State School. It closed circa 1925.[9] In 1929 the school building was relocated to Guanaba.[10] In 1932, due to the growing population in the area, there was unsuccessful local lobbying to re-open the school by constructing a new building to operate as a provisional school on the existing site.[11] The approximate location of the school was near the intersection of Nerang Broadbeach Road and Carrara Road (28°01′02″S153°23′02″E / 28.0172°S 153.3840°E / -28.0172; 153.3840 (Carrara State School (former))) near to the ferry which crossed the Nerang River.[12]
In 1958, Keith Williams established the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens on the south bank of the Nerang River in Carrara. It quickly became a popular tourist attraction featuring shows of water skiing and speed boat driving. It also hosted Australian Water Ski championships. In 1971 the attraction relocated to a larger site on the Southport Spit as renamed Ski Land, and then was renamed Sea World in 1972 with the addition of dolphin shows and other attractions. The ski shows continued at Sea World until July 2009 with an estimated 30,000 performances over 40 years.[13][14]
Pleasure Island was an amusement park that opened in 1959 and closed in 1962. It was located to the east of the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens.[15]
In 1968, Neville Parker purchased land on the river adjacent to the Surfers Paradise Ski Gardens where he developed the Carrara Water Ski School, teaching people how to water ski.[17]
St Michael's College opened its Carrara campus on 4 February 1985, but, as at 2021, this school is within the boundaries of neighbouring Merrimac.[9][3]
In 1987, Japanese Daikyo Group worked on the $50 million Palm Meadows 18-hole golf course and country club.[18]
In 2009, the Australian International Islamic College opened its Gold Coast campus at Carrara.[19]
Josiah College opened in April 2018 to provide specialist education for children with autism spectrum disorders.[20]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, 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.[21]
In the 2016 census, Carrara had a population of 12,060 people.[1]
Education
Emmanuel College is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at Birmingham Road (28°00′59″S153°22′10″E / 28.0165°S 153.3695°E / -28.0165; 153.3695 (Emmanuel College)).[22][23] In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 1,580 students with 128 teachers (112 full-time equivalent) and 94 non-teaching staff (65 full-time equivalent).[24] The school describes itself as "unapologetically Christian", but is not affiliated with any specific denomination or church.[25]
There are no government schools in Carrara. The nearest government primary schools are Nerang State School in neighbouring Nerang to the north, Ashmore State School in neighbouring Ashmore to the northeast, Merrimac State School in neighbouring Merrimac to the south, Worongary State School in neighbouring Worongary to the west, and William Duncan State School in neighbouring Highland Park to the northwest. The nearest government secondary schools are Nerang State High School in neighbouring Nerang to the north, Benowa State High School in neighbouring Benowa to the east, and Merrimac State High School in neighbouring Merrimac to the south.[3]
Facilities
Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service facility (2021).
Operating every weekend, the Carrara Markets are a variety of local stores and attractions for people living within the region.[41][38] An 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.[citation needed]
^"COUNTRY NEWS". The Queenslander. Vol. LXII, no. 1368. Queensland, Australia. 8 February 1902. p. 279. Retrieved 4 May 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Advertising". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. LIX, no. 13, 976. Queensland, Australia. 28 October 1902. p. 1. Retrieved 4 May 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"SOUTHPORT NOTES". The Brisbane Courier. Vol. LIX, no. 14, 075. Queensland, Australia. 21 February 1903. p. 12. Retrieved 4 May 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
^"CARRARA STATE SCHOOL". South Coast Bulletin. Vol. 4, no. 197. Queensland, Australia. 30 September 1932. p. 10. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
