Thanks for your response Tourer, seems we're getting somewhere without just writing off Gold Coast Autumn Weather.
Admittedly, this past decade seems to be drier than the 90's. But with that said, last summer and autumn has produced enough rain to see South East Queensland Dams at their highest levels in the last six or so years. I tried to pull some stats from
Seqwater, but they haven't released this year's Annual Report yet.
Also, as you mentioned. There is the possibility that a cyclone could take a wander down this way and dump a lot of rain. But last time from memory that a cyclone has come close to the GC, was back in 1992 in the month of May, that produced 2 or 3 days of torrential rain.
When it comes to the weather affecting Motorsport events on the Coast in the past three decades. There are only 3 incidents I can recall. The last one was the date that JagtechOhio mentioned of October 27, 2002. Which seen rain equivalent to a monsoonal downpour, which was very unfortunate for the event. As the 3 or 4 months lead up to that Sunday, the coast hadn't seen a drop of rain, and if IIRC, the following Monday. The sun was shining like nothing ever happened.
The next, was the delayed start in 1995, that Micheal Andretti won for Newman-Haas Racing, just on dusk where they were running out of light.
Then the last one was from memory, was back in 1985 at the now deceased Surfers Paradise International Raceway at Carrara which at the time was a low lying area of the Coast, that was prone to flooding. I think it was a ATTC round which was held in the month of May. But the old boys didn't let that stop them either.
But getting back to the Surfers Street Circuit during the 90's. There was only two events I missed that decade (91, 95) and what rain we did see is what most would regard as Isolated Showers. It wasn't exactly show stopping weather. The last couple of years, for the open-wheelers they seem to have had the penny drop and moved the start of the race, closer to lunchtime, to reduced the odds of a wet start, and let the V8SC's finish off the days events. Why it took so long for the organisers to realise that, is anyone's guess.
But with all that said, believe it or not. I do agree with the rest of what Oldtony and Tourer have said. It's only Autumn thing I don't see eye to eye with. October does slot in the best for the event, with all things considered. But if need be, to keep the event going. I feel we just can't write off the possibility of an Autumn Event, because at the end of it all. I rather see some motorsport event on the Gold Coast, than none at all.