Leading demographer Bernard Salt says Gold Coast growing up, becoming a 'mini-Adelaide' LEADING demographer Bernard Salt has labelled the Gold Coast a "mini-Adelaide," saying a national report has provided proof that the city was growing up. The State of Australian Cities 2013 report came out yesterday showing a 10 per cent jump in the population numbers for the Gold Coast-Tweed area, while household income climbed 10.7 per cent from 2006 to 2011. Household income hit $1125 a week here, but was still below the national median income of $1243. Mr Salt said the figures backed up his view that the Coast was becoming a bigger and more sophisticated city. "As the Gold Coast gets bigger, it is normalising," he said. There are less retirees and it is no longer `God's waiting room'. It is pushing 600,000 people and is half the size of Adelaide. A city of that size loses its rough edges. You could say that the Gold Coast is boring up. For more on this story, go to The Gold Coast Bulletin