All sun and Games on the Gold Coast

Queensland is reeling from a year of floods, cyclones, and financial turmoil, but it finally has a reason to celebrate. It's not the facelift we carried here yesterday (don't worry, we kept the green), it's not the fact that the fourth installment of that god-awful Twilight rubbish hits cinemas next weekend, nor is it the iPhone 4S's belated launch in New Zealand. The real reason? The Gold Coast, plagued by negative headlines after a wave of violent crime, has won its bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games. A roar erupted from Gold Coast's Broadwater Parklands yesterday where thousands had gathered for the announcement, which was beamed live from the general assembly of the Commonwealth Games Federation in Saint Kitts and Nevis (in the Caribbean). I have no doubt that the Gold Coast will do Australia proud in hosting these Games, just as Melbourne did in 2006, off the back of Sydney's success in the 2000 Olympics (in fact, Australia win a plurality of medals at almost every games). I hope the bid team aren't planning to include bowling underarm as a demo sport.