Gold Coast hotels: Final fates of Currumbin Hotel, Bartlett’s Barn and Surfers Paradise Hotel
The Gold Coast is famous for its watering holes, where locals and tourists alike have come to let their hair down. But the Currumbin Hotel and Bartlett’s Barn didn’t last. Here’s what happened to them.
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THE Gold Coast is famous for its watering holes, where locals and tourists alike have come to let their hair down, have fun or even a quiet drink.
But many of our best-loved pubs have closed their doors over the years, changing names, shapes and even purposes, leaving nothing but memories.
It will be the end of an era for a beloved institution.
The fates of other longstanding hotels has proven controversial over the years, particularly those which were demolished.
Currumbin Hotel
One of the Southern Gold Coast’s most famous pubs, it opened in 1908 was the location of many wild evenings and Sunday sessions overlooking Currumbin Creek.
But its future was in doubt for a decade before it finally closed in April 1996.
In 1986 Quetal Pty Ltd, an associate company of the Bond Corporation, bought a large tract of land on the hill, including the Currumbin Hotel site.
The company began its planning for the site but even the Gold Coast City Council was uncomfortable with initial pitch.
It was then sold to businessman Ray Efron for $3.5 million with plans to redevelop the site entirely.
The Friends of Currumbin community Group opposed the demolition of the old hotel and fought it tooth and nail.
But their battle was unsuccessful after the redevelopment of the site was finally approved by council.
Its final Sunday of operation was April 7, 1996 where both Richard Clapton and the Jimmy Barnes Band performed, attracting a crowd of more than 1000 people.
It closed for the last time two days later.
Surfers Paradise Hotel
Jim Cavill’s iconic hotel opened in the 1920s and proved so popular the entire suburb was named after it in 1933.
It was a landmark of the beachside area through the mid-late 20th century but finally met its end in 1981 when it was demolished by developer Eddie Kornhauser to make way for the Paradise Centre.
The hotel’s famed Birdwatchers Bar reopened in the new centre but it too didn’t last.
The Surfers Paradise Beer Garden is the last remaining tie to the original hotel still operating.
Pacific Hotel
The Pacific Hotel was Southport’s oldest pub, having opened in 1878.
It was built on Marine Parade in 1878 by Thomas Hanlon, who had come to the township of Southport from his former position as licensee of the Ferry Hotel at Yatala.
The hotel had a viewing platform on its roof which allowed people to see across to the ocean. The original building was replaced by a brick structure in 1927.
This building lasted until the late 1980s when the site was redeveloped to build Australia Fair Shopping Centre.
A new Hotel Pacific was built inside the centre, which opened in 1990.
Queens Hotel
Originally known as the Queen’s Arms Hotel, the pub was opened by Frederick Fass in 1885, just seven years after the Pacific Hotel.
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 and is now an education facility.
Bartlett’s Barn
This Nerang pub was one of the Gold Coast’s most popular locations during the 1970s and 1980s.
Opening in 1974, it also featured a bottle shop, known as the liquor barn, a nine-room motel and
It backed onto the Nerang River which was frequently a way that its customers could arrive and park before heading up to the beer garden.
There are even stories of children and teenagers taking their tinnies up the river, parking near the pub and sneaking into the swimming pool at its back.
In 1987 it was bought by Gold Coast businessman Reuben Pelerman for $5.9 million and renamed it Pelerman’s Barn.
Today it is known as the Hinterland Hotel.
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