History of Surfers Paradise can help guide bright future
FROM the letters to the editor and councillors portraying their ideas of rejuvenating Surfers Paradise, I would like offer some insight.
In 1970 the Gold Coast population was a mere 36,000, with residential mainly beachside and a strip west of the Gold Coast Highway of about 1-2km.
We laugh now, there were three high-rises, actually. Kinkabool, 10 levels, included a stylish restaurant on the ground floor.
The famous Chevron Hotel, constructed in 1958, featured a “Skyline” cabaret, 24-lane Bowling Alley and a convention centre – the Corroboree Room.
The theme of the “South Seas” Lounge at that time was fun, tropical and casual.
The Surfers Paradise shopping precinct – bikinis in the streets, was a holiday atmosphere for locals, Brisbane and interstate visitors. With a sprinkling from New Zealand, New Guinea and overseas.
Accommodation consisted of holiday flats, art deco motels,
Miami and Hawaii-style, fibro, brick and timber construction. Swimming pools, sun umbrellas and tropical flowers adorned their surroundings.
As time passed real estate boomed, people enjoyed popular cafes, restaurants which had a friendly feel, due to the owners’ participation. These were Greeks and Italians who welcomed you on arrival, sang to their customers or chefs who visited the tables with a glass of wine.
Other more up-market venues offered trendy sophisticated and casual, a warm atmosphere. These restaurants received regular patrons. Live music was provided.
Families were not left out with wonderful huge open-style, barbecue steak houses. One in particular in Cavill Ave was a real winner.
The lighthearted Surfers “birdwatching bar” was also a tourist attraction.
Then the advent of the 80s, shopfronts improved, more and larger developments took place. High-rises of 40 levels started and business grew with lunchtime transactions as a norm. Tourist came from overseas, high-rise accommodation on the Esplanade, bars, surf clubs, indoor entertainment, theatres and again more from interstate.
The attraction was the laidback lifestyle, no suit attire, as a welcome change from the southern states formal environment.
The 1990s changed again with more sun, surf and sand promotion here and overseas. Meter Maids to piano bars, drawing greater night trade. While banks, post office and commercial buildings existed, international shopping grew at an enormous rate, pursuing further up-market retail development.
The new Raptis Plaza in Cavill Ave even featured the marble “Michelangelo” as you entered the shopping centre.
Then in the 2000s locals started falling away, international stores trading started to slip and rents continued to increase.
Some started to vacate, leaving vacant shops, with desperate landlords giving in to less desirable traders or change of venues such as nightclubs, bars, poorly managed tourist shops which were being duplicated too many times.
In mid-2000s, light rail began, causing further poor trading, difficult parking and people lost interest in Surfers Paradise.
The key is to reinvent Surfers Paradise, requiring a greater understanding and expectation of overseas visitors; with 24-hour trading.
Offering relaxed holiday-style hotels, service apartments for all budgets from the “top end” to the thrifty “backpackers” they are all high spenders in their own way.
Finally, from a business point of view, hotels with convention capacity or ballroom-sized venues for overseas professionals and renowned award nights would also be a huge plus. Remember the old adage “Build and they will come” for the new Surfers Paradise.