Robina is sort of inland a bit from Broadbeach. It is meant to be a new town
centre and for all I know it may well become one. The old line was a daggy
bush line and despite all the protestation to the contrary it was a blessing
that it was closed. Had it not been, the Gold Coast would have got an
electrified 19th century line and not a modern replacement. The old line was
built to serve the dairying and sugar industries and did not go anywhere
near the coast until it got to Tugun. The new line does not extend that far
south (yet). The old line was used (AFAIK) as the basis of the Gold Coast
bypass road for part of its length which included daylighting the West
Burleigh tunnel. There are now proposals to extend the line to Coolangatta
again. It originally went to Tweed Heads, making it one of the few foreign
bits of QR in NSW.
Barry Campbell