Countdown Begins to Gold Coast’s Commonwealth Games

Excitement is building as the countdown to the 2018 Commonwealth Games officially gets underway along the Gold Coast.

Exactly five years from the start of the games, a clock was installed on the beach at the end of Cavill Avenue in Surfers Paradise to show how much longer sports fans have to wait.

Commonwealth Games minister Jann Stuckey said that preparations are already underway for the tournament, which is billed as one of the decade's biggest sporting events in Australia.

"We know the Gold Coast is a magical place and we want to spread the message that the Commonwealth Games are coming in 2018 with thousands of Australians, athletes and visitors," she commented.

As focus shifts to the area, there could be an increase in demand for Gold Coast rental properties, especially as it is hoped that the installation of the countdown clock will ignite interest in the games.

Ms Stuckey is encouraging locals to share photographs of the clock with their friends via social media in the hope that they will go viral and entice more people to the region.

With a world famous surfing and beach culture, ministers hope that the games will showcase exactly what the Gold Coast has to offer domestic and international visitors.