Lessons, not drinks, at historic pub site
IT’S the end of an era for one of the Gold Coast’s oldest pubs after more than 13 decades of serving drinks
Southport’s Courthouse Hotel will be leased out to become an education facility, offering courses in hospitality and massage, a far cry from its former trade selling beer and steaks.
Academique will occupy most of the old pub’s building on the corner of Davenport and Nerang streets but its owner, Ohreka Pty Ltd, has not leased the bistro.
It brings down the curtain on 130 years of pubs operating on the site, a tradition which dates back to the earliest days of Southport.
But area councillor Dawn Crichlow said she hoped to see the bistro section revamped to become a bar catering to “hipsters”.
“We are starting to see a lot of young people in the area who are known as hipsters,” she said.
“I think there is definitely a need for another venue for hipsters in the back section of the old hotel.
“Let’s make Southport trendy day and night.”
Originally known as the Queen’s Arms Hotel, the pub was opened by Frederick Fass in 1885, just seven years after the small township’s first hotel, the Pacific, which opened its doors on Marine Parade in 1878.
In those early days there were several popular watering holes, including venues such as The Grand and The Railway Hotel which remain open today.
The two-storey wooden structure housing the Queen’s Arms Hotel stood on the site of the current building and was one of Southport’s early success stories,
The pub was later known simply as the Queens Hotel and operated until 1998 when it underwent a major facelift and was renamed The Courthouse.
Among its owners through the years was rugby league legend John Sattler who operated it during the 1980s.
In the early 90s it was run by leading liquor retailer Tom O’Neill and his family before it was auctioned in 1996. It closed in 2015. Former owner Hans Torv, who sold the building in 2016, said he hoped the new operators prospered.
“The demand is there and there will be more demand for entertainment I have no doubt,” he said.
“It was slow to find its speed but it is coming up in a gradual process.”