The Surfers Paradise Hotel was the historic hotel that led to the development of Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia.
The Surfers Paradise Hotel was the historic hotel that led to the development of Surfers Paradise in Queensland, Australia.
During the 1920s, the Australian hotelier Jim Cavill (born James Freeman Cavill [1] ) purchased 10 acres of land in Elston (now Surfers Paradise). The land has previously been developed by previous owners but 1925 marked the openings of the Jubilee Bridge and the South Coast Road, opening up the area to a new flow of driving tourists. That year (or in 1928 [2] ), Jim Cavill opened the Surfers Paradise Hotel, a 16-bedroom hotel located on the intersection of the South Coast Road and the old coach track. Two other hotels opened at the same time. The flow of tourism gave a new economic beat to the area and Elston quickly became a fully-fledged city. [3]
The hotel included a private zoo. [4]
Jim Cavill founded the Surfers Paradise Life Saving Club and the Surfers Paradise Progress Association in 1929. [1]
In December 1933, Jim Cavill lobbied with locals to rename the city Elston to Surfers Paradise. [3] [5] [1] In July 1936, the timber-built hotel burned down. All of the animals in the zoo were saved, except for the goldfish. [4] [6] The hotel was entirely rebuilt in bricks the following year, reopening in September 1937 with telephones in every room. [7] [1]
The street where the hotel stands was renamed Cavill Avenue in 1945. [1]
Topsy the Talking Horse was a popular feature of the zoo in the 1940s and 1950s. [8] Topsy would answer questions asked by the audience by nodding and shaking her head and tapping numeric answers with her hoof. Her trainer was Tom Dennison. [9] In 1954, Topsy was taken to Government House in Brisbane to perform for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip during their royal tour of Australia in 1954. [10] [11]
The hotel was demolished in 1983 to make way for the Paradise Centre. [4]
The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-southeast of the centre of the state capital, Brisbane. It is Queensland's second-largest city after Brisbane, as well as Australia's sixth-largest city and the most populous non-capital city. The city's central business district is located roughly in the centre of the Gold Coast in the suburb of Southport. The urban area of the Gold Coast is concentrated along the coast, sprawling almost 60 kilometres, joining up with the Greater Brisbane metropolitan region to the north and to the state border with New South Wales to the south. Nicknames of the city include the ‘Glitter Strip’ and the ‘Goldy’. The demonym of a Gold Coast resident is Gold Coaster.
Surfers Paradise is a town and the suburban capital of the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, the suburb of Surfers Paradise had a population of 26,412 people.
The Gold Coast railway line is an interurban railway line operated by Queensland Rail in Queensland, Australia, connecting Brisbane with the Gold Coast. The line has 17 stations. In 2021, a journey from Central station to the terminus of this line was scheduled to take 1 hour 23 minutes. There are plans for several new stations along the existing line, as well as an extension south.
Burleigh Heads is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Burleigh Heads had a population of 10,572 people.
James Freeman Cavill a Brisbane hotelier, was one of the pioneers of the Gold Coast, Australia.
Johann Heinrich Casper Meyer (??-1901) was a German immigrant to Queensland and a pioneer of the Gold Coast region.
Circle on Cavill is a $551 million commercial development with two residential towers built by the Sunland Group and positioned in a key city block in the heart of the Surfers Paradise CBD, neighbouring with Towers of Chevron Renaissance shopping mall and resort apartment complex. Circle on Cavill is bounded by the main Surfers Paradise Boulevard at the western end of Cavill Mall and river end of Cavill Avenue, between the Gold Coast Highway and Ferny Avenue, in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The history of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia began in prehistoric times with archaeological evidence revealing occupation of the district by indigenous Australians for at least 23,000 years. The first early European colonizers began arriving in the late 1700s, settlement soon followed throughout the 19th century, and by 1959 the town was proclaimed a city. Today, the Gold Coast is one of the fastest-growing cities in Australia.
Labrador is a coastal suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the 2021 census, Labrador had a population of 18,643 people.
G:link, also known as the Gold Coast Light Rail, the Gold Coast Tram or simply the 'G, is a light rail system serving the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, and is the sole light rail system in Queensland. The system forms part of Translink's South East Queensland public transport network and consists of a single 20 km (12 mi) line of nineteen stations. Helensvale railway station is the northern terminus of the system, while Broadbeach South serves as the southern terminus. The line initially opened on 20 July 2014 and was subsequently extended northwest from Gold Coast University Hospital to Helensvale on 17 December 2017.
The Royal Exchange Hotel is a heritage-listed hotel located at 10 High Street, Toowong, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Chevron Renaissance is a $400 million development on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia comprising 713 individually owned residential lots located above the Chevron Renaissance Shopping Centre. The onsite management of Chevron Renaissance residential lots is managed by Accor under the brand name of Mantra Towers of Chevron, previously The Towers of Chevron Renaissance.
Ivy May Hassard was one of the first female pilots in the southern hemisphere and a pioneer of the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. She is noted for her contribution to the cultural development of the Gold Coast, opening the first fashion boutique in Surfers Paradise in 1946.
Bernie Elsey Snr was a property developer and entrepreneur, associated with early developments on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Ferry Road is a road in Southport, on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Originally a suburban street, it is now part of Southport–Burleigh Road, a state controlled road
Cavill Avenue is a street and a pedestrian mall in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is in the heart of the Surfers Paradise shopping and entertainment district. It was named in honour of the man credited as the founder of Surfers Paradise, James Cavill, known as Jim Cavill.
Paula Stafford OAM was an Australian fashion designer credited with introducing the bikini to Australia. Graeme Potter, director of Queensland Museum South Bank, called her "Australia's original bikini designer".
The following is a timeline of history of the city of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Kinkabool is a heritage-listed apartment block at 32–34 Hanlan Street, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by John M. Morton of Lund Hutton Newell Black & Paulsen and built from 1959 to 1960 by J D Booker Constructions Pty Ltd. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 5 February 2009.
The Jubilee Bridge (1925–1966) was a bridge across the Nerang River in South East Queensland, Australia. The bridge connected the suburbs of Southport to Main Beach on the Gold Coast, providing the first road connection to Surfers Paradise. It facilitated the development of the Gold Coast beach suburbs and holiday resorts.
