Helm Bar Surfers Paradise shuts its doors 24 hours after telling punters it was ‘business as usual’

Hundreds of customers have taken to social media to lament the loss of a well-known local bar, which has shut its doors 24 hours after saying it was ‘business as usual’.

Exterior pics of Helm Bar at Surfers Paradise, which has closed down. Picture Mike Batterham

HUNDREDS of Helm Bar customers have taken to social media to lament the loss of the waterfront watering hole, which has shut its doors after five years.

The Ferny Ave bar, which fronts the Nerang River in Surfers Paradise, went into voluntary administration on Wednesday with debts to its landlord, the tax office, a big bank, lawyer’s office and others.

There was confusion after the Bulletin reported the administration, with the bar telling its Facebook followers that despite “lots of talk” it was “alive & kicking” and that it was “business as usual”, inviting punters to come for lunches, dinners and “coldies on the deck”.

The Helm Bar Surfers Paradise shut down after going into voluntary administration. Photo: Supplied

Less than 24 hours later, the bar was closed and thanking customers for five years of support.

Followers asking about deposits for forward function bookings were being told they would be contacted with information about whether or not they would receive refunds.

Most of more than 300 comments on the business page, were sad at the loss of the local drinking spot.

Administrator Peter Lucas, who also earlier this week said it was “business as usual” at the bar, was unavailable for comment this afternoon.

Documents he lodged with ASIC said discussions with the landlord’s lawyer about a rent reduction were unsuccessful and that the owners, Colin and Barbara Cadden, had been trying unsuccessfully to sell the business.

The Helm Bar Surfers Paradise post informing customers it had shut down. Photo: Supplied

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Helm Bar, which hosted Team Jamaica for last year’s Commonwealth Games, was previously known as the Titanium bar and was the off-field home to the Gold Coast Titans.

It traded as the Pink Elephant Bar before that.

The Caddens bought a six-year lease on the bar for $1.25 million in 2016, with an option to extend it by a further 10 years.

Mrs Cadden said at the time she and her husband hoped to make the venue “more like a country pub”.

“That means providing honest pub grub of good quality and at a fair price,” she said.

“We are not about competing with the restaurants in ­Surfers.”

Exterior pics of Helm Bar at Surfers Paradises. Picture Mike Batterham

The Helm Bar’s landlords are Sydney-registered company Sunny View Property, which bought the property for $46 million in a package with neighbouring Vibe Hotel in 2015.

The Vibe Hotel opened a bar of its own, Driftwood Social, in February.

The company failure follows the closure of two other bars at the river end of Cavill Ave — Coccon Ultralounge, which closed in July last year, and Howl at the Moon, which shut its doors in October 2017.