Cyclone Winston generates whirlwind of cash

A two month run of perfect Superbank conditions has contributed $20m dollars to the Gold Coast economy, according to CSIRO researcher Dr Lazarow.
 An estimated 75,000 local and visiting surfers turned out across the Gold Coast, lured there by mind-boggling footage of seven-barrel waves, spending an average $25 (locals) to $40 (visitors) per surf. “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me at all,” Andy Mckinnon, Chairman of the Gold Coast World Surfing Reserve, told Stab. “We’ve been saying all along the local economy is fully backed by the surf, particularly when the waves are good. Last Friday was as good as it gets.” According to Andy, the findings are further evidence of the government’s responsibility to provide funding for extra surfing amenities – “artificial reefs, wave pools, the creation of designer waves.“ “Crowds are getting bigger at all the surf breaks up here so if they want to create million dollar football stadiums for people, local government has to start doing it for surfing too,” Andy says. One of the boom industries on the Gold Coast during the swells has been, unsurprisingly, ding repairs, reports the Gold Coast Bulletin. Local Anthony Pols, owner of The Ding Shop at Miami, struggled to keep up with the demand for board repairs. “This new money coming into the local economy is the most valuable — what locals spend is just redistributed around the city,” the CSIRO’s Dr Lazarow said.