PARADISE LOST CAN BE REGAINED ONCE AGAIN
The Covid-induced slump in business is the perfect time to rejuvenate Surfers Paradise and make it a must-go destination for locals and tourists alike
HERE’S cheers for a bumper long weekend on the Gold Coast.
With hotels and restaurants booked out, this tourism shot in the arm is just what the doctor ordered for an industry on life support.
Alas, it’s no cure.
As the rest of us return to work on Monday, our hospitality providers will be on their own yet again.
And nowhere is more lonesome than Surfers Paradise.
The alleged jewel in the crown of this tourism kingdom has been decidedly dull for far too long.
But just like so many of us used lockdown to engage in some good old home renovations, the time has come to run the broom through what is looking like a beachside ghetto.
Honestly, when is the last time you went to Surfers?
There is nowhere to shop but overpriced tourist stores, nowhere to eat but corner kebab shops and nothing to do but drink at the nightclubs.
Am I overstating it? Maybe, because I literally never go there.
Which is unfortunate … since the truth is that when it comes to tourism, it’s pretty much a locals-only market at the moment.
But let’s use that to our advantage.
If Surfers Paradise can figure out a way to attract Gold Coast residents back to its beaches and streets, the tourists will surely follow.
Reading this overview on wikitravel.org, it’s obvious we can do better: “Surfers Paradise has a reputation for rip-off shopping, timeshare salespeople, and seedy strip clubs (which are plentiful).
“The beaches and the rest of Surfers sit in the long shadows of the high-rises in the late afternoon. Love the beaches, or hate the kitsch. Love the night-life, or just find the drunks stumbling and singing down Cavill Mall a turn-off. You can’t be ambivalent about Surfers.”
It’s time to give Surfers not just a makeover but a do-over. It’s time to go back to the drawing board and think about what we really want.
Sure, last year the council announced a significant revamp of the suburb with the draft Surfers Paradise Master Plan, which was set to include an overhaul of Cavill Mall (with a budget of just $1.5m), an extension of the foreshore area, investigations for a public plaza on the esplanade and possibly even moving the famous Surfers Paradise sign.
Community consultation closed in November and then a few months later came the coronavirus pandemic – and since then it’s been radio silence.
But now is not the time to stall.
Now is the time to really talk to traders, businesses and residents about what the suburb needs.
As president of the newlyformed Surfers Paradise Traders Association Elvio Pugliese told the ABC, more than 112 traders – including retail outlets and hospitality venues – have joined the organisation over the past month out of concern for the suburb’s future.
He said Surfers Paradise had become too dependent on tourism and the night economy, which came at the cost of local trade.
“It’s a ghost town,” Mr Pugliese said.
“(Coronavirus) has exposed Surfers and that’s motivated us as an association because it will fall off a cliff.”
While the draft master plan was a step in the right direction, it does not get us all the way there.
And even though public moneys might be tight, this does not have to be a knockdown and rebuild job.
As with any good home reno, so much comes down to simple street appeal.
From my own limited research, there are two things that Surfers needs to bring back the people: foliage and food. Walking through the suburb’s concrete jungle, with laneways feeling more like wind tunnels, it’s conducive neither to conversation nor leisurely lunches.
We need trees and green space to soften the landscape, block the blasting wind and create an environment that’s as attractive at ground level as the cityscape is from a distance.
And if the council can provide some serious greenscaping, the suburb becomes an attractive prospect for restaurants and cafes. Let’s face it, it’s all about the ’Gram. If you can provide a setting that looks good on social media, you’ve won half the battle.
Restaurants and cafes are at the heart of suburban success stories like Burleigh and Nobby.
Residents will happily travel for good food, great cocktails and a pretty location.
There is absolutely no reason that Surfers can’t offer this.
Is it the complete cure to what’s ailing our own paradise? No, but it’s a start.
The centre of our city should not be a gaping hole devoid of locals, but the epitome of our identity – and something we really should be able to cheer about.
Coronavirus has exposed Surfers and that’s motivated us