Land of Legend Gold Coast: Remembering popular Tugun castle tourist destination

Remember the Gold Coast castle which had its very own sword in the stone outside and contained Australia’s largest doll collection? This is the story of The Land of Legend.

BACK in the 1980s and 1990s the Gold Coast was home to two castles.

Of course, everyone is familiar with Magic Mountain at Miami, an iconic piece of the Coast’s past.

But many are now unfamiliar with the other castle which was a big part of the childhoods of locals and visitors.

It was 40 years ago that Tugun became home to its very own fairytale castle, known as The Land of Legend.

It was founded by Bette Symonds, a one-time fashion model who moved to the Gold Coast in the early 1970s with her husband Bruce.

The castle shortly before it was demolished. Picture: Donna Cosford

Symonds brought with her from Adelaide her increasingly large collection of fairytale characters which she had begun creating in 1968.

During a period of poor health, Symonds had begun creating the outfits for her toys and characters and this soon became a big hobby.

Once established on the Coast, the couple decided to display the collection and by the mid-1970s they had opened The Land of Legend, initially in Currumbin.

It soon became a major tourist attraction, with the Symonds’ collection dubbed Australia’s largest, with more than 4000 pieces.

One of the dolls. Picture: Fred Saxon

One of the displays circa 1978. Picture: Fred Saxon

Among the dioramas were recreations of the Kelly Gang, King Arthur and his knights, Pirates, Henry VIII and his wives, Sleeping Beauty and her bed chamber, Alice in Wonderland and Old Mother Hubbard.

Some were more than 200 years old.

Among those who wrote to the Symonds in those earlier years included Hollywood actor John Wayne.

In 1980 the Symonds built their castle on land they owned on Tugun’s Boyd Street and moved the collection there.

The purpose-built castle had everything from battlements and turrets to the sword in the stone near its front entrance.

A beloved southern Gold Coast institution, it was a must-visit location for holiday-makers and locals.

An aerial view of the Castle in the early 2000s.

A review of The Land of Legend published by News Corp in the early 1990s celebrated it for being a unique attraction.

“It advertises itself as “A Great Tourist Attraction’’, which is enough to put most people off, but once inside, you will be bowled over by the sheer eccentricity of the countless rooms, crammed with one woman’s obsession with fairytales and historical curiosities,” it said.

“Some people live to see their dreams realised, and Bette Symonds, who had collected bits and pieces of ephemera all her life, spent 26 years putting the collection together and building this edifice to house it.”

Bette Symonds died in 1991 and it was managed for several years by her friend Nita Myers.

The building was sold in 1995 and was revamped as Gold Coast Partyworld.

It hosted children’s parties for several years before changing hands again and becoming a function centre, being renamed The Comedy Castle.

Mike and Julie Chavaux bought the property and surrounding land for $650,000 in January, 2000, and refitted the 680sq m interior soon afterwards.

The live shows, centred on a medieval theme, were the southern Gold Coast’s version of the popular Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant at Broadbeach.

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The proposed medical centre which was meant to replace the castle but was never built.

But in October, 2003, it was targeted by undercover police and liquor licensing officials following complaints about its controversial Naughty Night production.

Promoted as a `sex comedy’ featuring characters such as the Naked Chef and Anita Lubricant, a stripper performed at one show drawing the attention of the prostitution licensing officials as well.

The stripper did not go the `full monty’ and the only fault that could be found was that a blocked fire escape needed to be reopened.

The Castle ceased trading on December 18, 2004 and it was announced 15 years ago this week that it would be demolished to make way for a medical centre.

It was finally knocked down in 2006 but the proposed replacement never eventuated.

The land remains empty today.