Fear and confusion has gripped the famously laid-back community of the Queensland Gold Coast, as the residents of the popular retirement strip speculate on the nature of a substantial but as-yet undisclosed public health crisis threatening the region.

Hoarding of food and medical supplies has been reported in some beachside areas following revelations that the Health Minister, Sussan Ley, has made 14 covert trips there since being sworn in, at a cost to the taxpayer of about $40,000.

"Whatever it is, it must be bloody scary," whispered Labrador resident Beryl Stringbags, 82, yesterday as she loaded her supermarket trolley with toothpaste, paracetamol, heavy-duty batteries and tinned peaches.

"A lot of us around here are worried it's got to do with the guy who came back here from the Ebola zone in 2014. They say Sussan Ley is even flying herself in and out. I'm not taking any chances."