Hollywell

Lifestyle & dining

Life in Hollywell is largely lived outdoors and on the water. Locals tend to keep a boat at the end of the jetty and use it as readily as a car, whether that's a run across the Broadwater to Wave Break Island for a swim or a longer trip up to the Sanctuary Cove marina precinct. For day-to-day dining and coffee, most residents head a few minutes down the road into Paradise Point, whose waterfront café and restaurant strip looks out over the Broadwater and gets busy on weekends, or into Runaway Bay for a wider spread of options.

It's not a suburb with its own bustling main street, and that's rather the point — the appeal is the quiet, low-key residential feel, with the social hub happening a short drive away rather than on the doorstep.

Shopping

Everyday shopping is handled at nearby Runaway Bay Shopping Centre and the Paradise Point village shops, both within easy reach and covering supermarkets, specialty stores and services. For bigger shopping trips, Harbour Town at Biggera Waters and the broader Southport retail and business district are a short drive south, giving residents access to major fashion outlets, homewares and dining without needing to head all the way into Surfers Paradise.

Getting around

Hollywell is well served by road, with the Gold Coast Highway running nearby to connect residents south towards Southport and the light rail network, or north towards Hope Island and the Coomera motorway interchange for trips to Brisbane. There's no train station directly in the suburb, so most residents rely on cars, with bus services linking Hollywell to Runaway Bay and Coombabah for those wanting to reach the G:link light rail at Marina Quays or Southport.

For a suburb this water-oriented, plenty of getting around also happens by boat, with private jetties and pontoons common on canal-front blocks and easy Broadwater access to Sanctuary Cove, the Seaway and beyond.

Parks & recreation

The Broadwater itself is Hollywell's greatest recreational asset, offering swimming, fishing, kayaking and boating right from the backyard for many residents. Coombabah Lake Conservation Park borders the suburb and offers walking trails and wetland birdwatching for those wanting a break from the water, while Paradise Point's foreshore parkland is a popular spot for picnics, playgrounds and watching the sunset over the Broadwater.

The property market

Hollywell's market reflects its status as a tightly held waterfront enclave. The median house price sits at $1.67 million, while units and apartments — a smaller but notable part of the market — carry a median of $2.02 million, reflecting the premium placed on Broadwater-front apartment living. Median rent across the suburb is $1,080 a week, underlining strong demand from tenants chasing the same waterside lifestyle owners are after.

Current listings show a mix of 52% houses, 34% apartments and units, and 14% townhouses, giving buyers a reasonable spread of options despite the suburb's small footprint. House prices have grown 2.9% recently, a steady rather than spectacular figure that fits a mature, low-turnover market where much of the appeal lies in scarcity — canal and waterfront blocks in Hollywell don't come up often, and neighbouring Sovereign Islands and Hope Island provide the closest comparable luxury waterfront competition.

Schools & families

With a population of around 2,930 and a median age of 51, Hollywell skews towards established households and retirees rather than young families, though those who do live here have reasonable access to schooling in nearby suburbs including Coombabah and Runaway Bay. The suburb's appeal for families tends to centre on multi-generational or lifestyle buyers — those wanting space, water access and a quieter setting for weekend visits from children and grandchildren rather than day-to-day school runs.