Gold Coast is a coastal city in southeastern Queensland on the east coast of Australia. It is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and the most populous non-capital city and cross-state metropolitan area in Australia. The city's northernmost point at Ormeau is located 42 kilometres south-east of the Brisbane central business district, and the metropolitan area extends south along the coast to Tweed Heads, New South Wales. The Gold Coast metropolitan area converges with that of Greater Brisbane, forming part of an urban conurbation of over 3 million people.The first settlement in what is now South East Queensland was as a penal colony at Redcliffe. The Gold Coast region remained largely uninhabited by Europeans until 1823 when explorer John Oxley landed at Mermaid Beach. The hinterland's red cedar supply attracted people to the area in the mid-19th century. Later in 1875, Southport was surveyed and established and grew a reputation as a secluded holiday destination for wealthy Brisbane residents.