The Gold Coast, an urban conurbation stretching along the Pacific seaboard and adjacent hinterland of south east Queensland, has developed rapidly since the 1950s. Much of its development has involved the modification of existing watercourses so as to produce stable areas of land suitable for medium and high density development. This article addresses one particular facet of this, the development of artificial islands and of estates of ‘finger islands’ (narrow, peninsular areas with direct waterfrontage) and the canalised waterways that facilitate them. The article commences with a discussion of the concepts behind such developments and the nomenclature that has accrued to them, highlighting the contradictions between branding of finger island estates and the actualities of their realisation. This discussion is supported by historical reference to earlier artificial island estates in Florida that provided a model for Australian developers. Case studies of three specific Gold Coast waterfront locations conclude the main body of the article, reflecting on factors related to the stability of their community environments.