The Gold Coast has beaten the Sri Lankan city of Hambantota to win the hosting rights for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The decision was made at the Commonwealth Games Assembly in the West Indies.
The 70 Commonwealth Games Federation delegates voted 43 to 27 in favour of the Coast bid.
"We've done a lot of hard work and it was very clear early in the week there was a lot of delegates who supported Hambantota and it would be a very, very close vote," Queensland Premier Anna Bligh said at the announcement.
"The hard work has paid off.
"I'm so proud of this team, I'm so proud of the Gold Coast.
"I'm so proud of being a Queenslander."
Queensland's glitter strip will now become the fifth Australian city to host the Games after Sydney (1938), Perth (1962), Brisbane (1982) and Melbourne (2006).
Sri Lanka was seeking to host the Games for the first time.
The vote was seen as a head versus heart call for delegates with Gold Coast deemed a low-risk bid city while the Sri Lankans asked for a "life-changing opportunity".
Little-known Hambantota, which is rebuilding after being devastated by the 2004 Asian tsunami, had made a humble and dignified pitch to the CGF to help them in their massive regeneration program.
Record-breaking Test cricketer Muttiah Muralidaran was the headline act of the Hambantota bid team.
Muralidaran said hosting rights would transform his country like the 1995 Rugby World Cup changed and united post-apartheid South Africa under the leadership of Nelson Mandela.
AAP