The statistics show that twenty percent of Gold Coast (and Sunshine Coast) residents attend church regularly, and a whacking seventy percent are fellow travellers with Christian beliefs.
Whitworth is constantly amazed by the diversity of 107.3 listeners who ring into his program, giving as one example, a caller who was a young woman who listens regularly, who has a partner and a tiny tot and spoke about how she yearned to be a believer in Jesus Christ.
"A completely different demographic is on a building site, where the men tune in to our 10.30am Focus on the Family program," Hayden Whitworth said. "Having guffawed at first when the Christian among them tuned it in, they now ensure one of them always turns the radio on at 10.30."
M V Tronson thinks there are a number of factors why these tourism (Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast) areas have a high Christian commitment. He thinks that the tourism culture 'hides the community' and the residents who make up the permanent community sees the tourist market for what it is - 'glitter'.
"The community members have families and homes," observed Mark Tronson. "Parents who see this surface glitter want to protect their children from the worst of what they see 'at work'. Belonging to a congregation is one way to imbue honest moral values."
Because they see first hand the sense of the ridiculous, where reality and normality play little part of what happens to visitors on holidays, that when the permanent residents return to their homes, they want a sense of reality and normality.
Mark Tronson notes that Queensland's Gold Coast has other factors too that might be a factor in the high Church attendance. One is that the area has attracted a significant population of New Zealanders and Melanesians who come from church-attending cultures.
"Another consideration is the growing Protestant and Pentecostal scene, with upmarket forms of worship that involve a plethora of weekly activities that cater for various members of a family," M V Tronson noted.
One can find any number of volunteer activities within many congregations. In one instance, the 'grey set' manufactures teddy bears for third world children during the day.
In others there are voluntary church-run children's occasional care catering for babies, toddlers, after school primary-school children and activities for teenagers; and there are often ranges of cooperative evening groups for young adults, from student 'singles' to young marrieds.
"The twenty percent, based on a one million population over the broader Gold Coast and hinterland regions, this 200,000 figure would actually incorporate in some way a much wider cross section of the community than a simple 'Church on Sunday' count," M V Tronson mused.
"To give a different kind of representation, the Uniting Church on the Sunshine Coast with its Retirement villages, upmarket Camp sites, Day Care facilities and the like, is the region's third largest employer."
To cater for the increasing demand of people wanting involvement in Christian activities, the Reverend Russell Hinds, a Gold Coast Baptist minister, has twice now constructed church buildings in 'three days'. The first was Helensvale in 1990 and the second was the 'Gold Coast Family Church' at Mudgeeraba five years ago.
"These huge multi purpose buildings' concrete floors are already poured. When all approvals are done, with local Council support, a huge team of professional volunteers from all over Australia come together on a weekend, and 'up she goes'." M V Tronson explained. "All the congregation's activities are ready to roll from day one."
Mark Tronson concludes that the need for Christian worship is indeed great in the tourist areas sometimes thought of as 'tinsel towns'. He sees evidence of an increasing variety and number of Church activities, catering for the ordinary families who form the communities of these areas, and the backbone of support so that Australia at play can have a 'decent' place for their holidays.
Moreover, it has given rise to Well-Being Australia's Tourism Ministry which seeks to minister to those who are in this 'tinsel town' artificial atmosphere.