Houseboats in Southport.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on a houseboat? I have...….especially as I have spent much of my life near the sea or rivers or estuaries.
These house boats (below)are situated at The Spit, in Southport on the Gold Coast and as I took these images, I wondered if people were living in them full time or were they used as holiday vessels when convenient?
Southport is located near the mid point of the Gold Coast. Originally, it was called Nerang Creek Heads but was later renamed 'Southport,' because it was the southernmost port of the colony of Queensland.
Southport is known as the central business district of the city of Gold Coast and it used to be the entertainment hub of the area until it spread further into the heart of the Gold Coast.
I get the feeling that the people who live on these house boats are getting the best of both worlds, nestled away from the traffic, buoyed by the calm waters of this estuary but close enough to the city lights and action when the mood was right.
A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Some houseboats are not motorized, because they are usually moored, kept stationary at a fixed point and often tethered to land to provide utilities. However, many are capable of operation under their own power.
Float house is a Canadian and American term for a house on a float (raft); a rough house may be called a shanty boat.[1] In Western countries, houseboats tend to be either owned privately or rented out to holiday-goers, and on some canals in Europe, people dwell in houseboats all year round. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, Amsterdam, London, and Paris.
Houseboats are found in great numbers on small rivers or streams—especially where there is good fishing—on the shallow waters of inland lakes, and in harbours along coastal regions. When used as summer homes, houseboats have developed into quite elaborate craft, having four or more rooms, with a broad porch or veranda on top protected by awnings.
The hull construction still retains the characteristics of a flat-bottomed scow, having great stability. In this form the boats have no motive power and have to be towed from place to place when it is desired to change their position.
THANK YOU FOR VIEWING. HAVE A GREAT DAY.