Mitchell, Starc bring home the golds for Australia on night seven
Australia had a golden night at Carrara Stadium on night seven, with four wins including Brandon Starc in the men's high jump and Kathryn Mitchell in the women's javelin.
Starc claimed gold in the high jump, medalling for the first time in a senior international meet.
Starc utilised the home support to stellar effect, clearing 2.32m in a personal-best effort, ahead of the Bahamas' Jamal Wilson and Canadian bronze medallist Django Lovett.
The Australian was elated over his breakthrough win.
"The whole stadium, I cannot thank them enough. They're incredible. I have no words," an emotional Starc said.
"I felt good in qualifying. I know I was in good form.
"I just had to back myself and believe in myself. That's what I did and look what happened."
It was a case of fourth time lucky for Mitchell, who won gold in the women's javelin with a Commonwealth Games record at Carrara Stadium.
Mitchell had competed in the Melbourne (sixth), Delhi (fifth) and Glasgow (fourth) Games without making the podium, but she turned that around in emphatic style on the Gold Coast.
She unleashed an almighty throw of 68.92 metres with her first attempt, which not only broke the previous Games mark held by compatriot Kim Mickle (65.96m) but also beat the national record of 68.57m she set last month.
The victory was just reward for the 35-year-old Victorian, who has proven she is among the best throwers internationally during her career after placing sixth at the 2016 Rio Olympics and fifth at the Moscow world championships in 2013.
She entered the Games in superb form, twice breaking the national record, which moved her to number seven on the world all-time list.
The competition on Wednesday night was effectively over following the opening round, although Mitchell's fellow Australian Kelsey-Lee Roberts jumped into the silver medal position with her final throw of the evening.
Roberts, a bronze medallist in Glasgow four years ago, ripped out a 63.89m to leapfrog South Africa's Sunette Viljoen, who had to settle for the bronze with 62.08m.
Mitchell joins a decorated list of Australian Commonwealth Games victors in the women's javelin, with seven of her countrywomen, including Mickle and 1996 Olympic silver medallist Louise Currey, having won gold.
"Obviously you hope for this type of result and I've worked a lot this season trying not to focus too much on results and more on the process," Mitchell said.
"It's been working and it worked again tonight. It's a little bit unbelievable."
Golden girl Isis sprints to victory
Australia also won two para-sport gold medals at the stadium on night seven.
Australia's world record holder Isis Holt clinched Commonwealth gold in the women's T35 100m final, winning in 13.58 seconds.
The 16-year-old from Canberra had an excellent start and she cleared away from the field to win by 1.56 seconds.
Fellow Aussie Brianna Coop snared bronze behind Scotland's Maria Lyle, while Australia's Carly Salmon was fourth.
A few minutes earlier Cameron Crombie took out the men's F38 shotput final, throwing 15.74m to ice the win.
His winning throw came on the third attempt, putting him ahead of fellow Australian Marty Jackson (13.74m) and South African bronze medallist Reinhardt Hamman (13.15m).
Frayne produces big series for long jump silver
Henry Frayne won silver in the men's long jump final, having been edged out of the gold medal position by South Africa's world champion Luvo Manyonga.
Frayne had set a Commonwealth Games record of 8.34m with his first and only attempt in qualifying on Tuesday and he produced a jump just shy of that mark in the second round, an 8.33m.
It was enough to put the two-time Olympic finalist into the lead but two rounds later Manyonga narrowly moved ahead, with his 8.35m erasing the Australian's 24-hour-old Games record.
Rio silver medallist Manyonga, who has previously admitted to being a former crystal meth addict, later broke his fresh Games mark via an 8.41m in the sixth and final round.
Frayne had the last jump of the competition but a foul put paid to any chance he had of overhauling Manyonga, whose countryman and world championship bronze medallist, Ruswahl Samaai, was third with 8.22m.
Frayne's career to date has been blighted by injury and he took great pride from claiming silver in light of the frustrations he has faced.
"It was awesome out there, I couldn't ask for more," he said.
"A home Comm Games, amazing crowd, electric atmosphere. I'm really proud of that effort."
Sterling effort from steeplechaser Mitchell
The women's 3,000m steeplechase final provided one of the most inspiring moments of the track and field program on the Gold Coast.
Australia's Victoria Mitchell was competing only two weeks after having her appendix removed, yet summoned the strength to get to the start line and finish in ninth place.
She ran 10:12.59, while her Australian teammate Genevieve LaCaze was fifth in 9:42.69. Jamaica's Aisha Praught (9:21.00) won the gold.
Amantle Montsho took out gold in the women's 400m for Botswana, ahead of Jamaica's pair of Anastasia Le-Roy and Stephanie McPherson, while Australia's Anneliese Rubie finished seventh.
Eighteen-year-old Riley Day fell agonisingly short of advancing to the women's 200m final, with Bianca Williams pipping the Australian by 0.01 to claim the crucial eighth spot.
Day had placed fourth in her semi-final, running 23.24, with England's Williams finishing third to progress through to the decider as a non-automatic qualifier.
Australia wins pairs para-sport gold in lawn bowls
Australia won a para-sport gold medal at Broadbeach, as the mixed B2/B3 pairs team defeated South Africa 12-9 to take out the event.
The event is for competitors with visual impairment — Australia's team of lead Lynne Seymour, lead director Bob Seymour, skip Jake Fehlberg and skip director Grant Fehlberg went behind 1-0 on the opening end, but a four-shot second end sent the locals on the way to victory.
The home side stretched the lead to 9-1 after six ends, but the South Africans steadied to reduce the margin to 9-5.
The South African team added three shots in two ends to close things to 10-8, but that was as close as they got, with Australia scoring two shots in the final three ends to clinch victory.
Australia will have another chance at a para-sport lawn bowls gold medal, after the Open B6/B7/B8 triples team defeated South Africa 15-7 in their semi-final.
Australia won a bronze medal in the rhythmic gymnastics team final, with a score of 120.800, behind gold medallists Cyprus (130.625) and Malaysia in silver (127.950).
The team of Enid Sung, Danielle Prince and Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva scored 39.100 on the hoops, 35.550 with the ball, 34.950 with the clubs and 11.200 with the ribbon — Sung and Prince's ribbon scores were discarded.
In beach volleyball, the Australian men's and women's teams will both play for gold after winning their semi-finals.
Christopher McHugh and Damien Schumann defeated England's Chris Gregory and Jake Sheaf 21-13, 21-16.
In the final game of the day, Australia's Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Taliqua Clancy defeated Vanuatu pair Miller Pata and Linline Matauatu 21-19, 16-21, 15-9 to advance to the gold medal game.
Wins for Kookaburras, Diamonds
In hockey, the Kookaburras beat New Zealand 2-1 in their Pool B match, with goals from Jacob Whetton and Trent Mitton.
The Diamonds also had a win, beating Jamaica 72-51 in their Pool A netball match.
Australia had strong contributions from Caitlin Bassett and Caitlin Thwaites with 22 goals each, plus another 20 from goal attack Susan Pettitt.
Jhaniele Rowler-Reid was the standout shooter for Jamaica, scoring 30 goals from 32 shots.
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