Nerang is a town and suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Nerang had a population of 16,864 people. Geography The Nerang River flows through the locality from south to east, passing through the town. The river ultimately flows into the most southern part of Moreton Bay. Nerang has a small town centre in which banking and a range of other commercial and retail services are available. Of more prominence within the Division, is the development of a series of light industrial parks which house a diverse range of small and large business operations providing services such as panel beating, motor vehicle wrecking, a wide range of trades, printing and equipment hire services. Administration offices of the Gold Coast City Council are also located at Nerang including Council functions such as finance, town planning and building services. History The town takes its name from the river which, in turn, is reportedly a word from the Bundjalung language, Ngaraangbal variant, meaning either small river, or shovel nosed shark. The township of Nerang was surveyed by Martin Lavelle in June 1865. Lavelle named a street after himself and others after local pioneers like William White the local squatter, and Edmund Price the local planter. Nerang has focused very much on the river crossing and the head of navigation. Land was first sold here in 1871. Daily Cobb & Co coach services from Brisbane began the same year and river transport to the settlement became more regular. Benjamin Cockerill erected the first hotel, The Nerang, in early 1872. The population of the 'town' of Nerang in the 1871 census was too small even to be included in the list of towns in the region. A thrice weekly Cobb & Co coach service provided the incentive for the opening of a second hotel called the Southern Cross, followed by the Royal Mail in 1873. With an abundant supply of red cedar amongst other tree species, the first industry to flourish in the area was timber cutting. Nerang State School opened on 1 November 1875 with 47 students under teacher Thomas Johnson. With the establishment of a telegraph office, two stores, a butcher, a saddler, a baker and a boot maker it was clear that a township was forming. By 1881 the population reached 95. On 30 September 1885 J. Howard Maynard auctioned 34 allotments on the bank of Mooyumbin