Iconic Cav’s steakhouse moves for redevelopment to become 13-storey high-rise

THE iconic Cav's Steakhouse will be put out to pasture and replaced with a gleaming tower inspired by the work of Gold Coast pioneer Jim Cavill.

Richard Cavill and his famous cows outside Cav's Steakhouse. The longtime owner and great-grandson of Jim Cavill is talking about the future of the site at Labrador. Picture Glenn Hampson

THE iconic Cav's Steakhouse will be put out to pasture and replaced with a gleaming tower inspired by the work of Gold Coast pioneer, Jim Cavill.

The popular Frank Street eatery has been selling its famous steaks for more than 32 years but plans are sizzling along to build a 13-storey mixed use tower.

The Gold Coast Bulletin can reveal the 79-unit project, Inspire, has been put forward by long-time owner Richard Cavill, who filed a development application with the Gold Coast City Council before Christmas.

VIOLENT RANT BEFORE FATAL PUNCH

BELOVED PET PUT DOWN BY COUNCIL

Artist impressions by TVS Architects of a development planned for the Cav's Steakhouse site on Frank Street at Labrador. Images supplied by City of Gold Coast

After nearly three decades at the helm, Mr Cavill said he was ready to turn his attention to property development and in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, who is regarded as the founder of Surfers Paradise.

If approved by the council’s planning committee early this year, it is hoped construction would begin in 2017.

Mr Cavill, speaking exclusively to the Gold Coast Bulletin, confirmed the restaurant in its current form would close if the project went ahead but said its iconic “herd” of cows would remain as part of the new development.

“It is really exciting times and my great-grandfather Jim was a pioneer in development on the Gold Coast and I wanted to go down the track and build something for the city,” he said.

“As part of the approvals the cows can stay and we are hoping to achieve a kind of generational change in Labrador, which I expect to look quite different in 10 year’s time.

“I am really excited about the Gold Coast’s future and it is great after the tough financial times we have been through.”

Cav’s famous cows are a popular tourist attraction and are often used in photos.

The application, put forward by the Richard Cavill Unit Trust, has been in the works for more than five years and features a mixture of primarily two and three-bedroom units and 175 car spaces.

Cav’s was originally the Beef Baron Restaurant before the Cavill family bought it in 1984 and redeveloped it to create the famous hacienda-style eatery.

Among the celebrities who dined there over the years were Liberace, Phyllis Diller, Robert Goulet, Andy Williams and Stuart Wagstaff.

According to artist’s impressions lodged with the council the tower would retain some Spanish influence in its design, as well as pressed concrete walls featuring a bamboo forest motif.

Richard Cavill sitting atop one of the famous cows at Cav's Steakhouse. Picture: Fiona Harding

While the residential section of the project will be known as Inspire, its 1200sq m of commercial space will be called Broadwater Central and is planned to have 11 tenancies, with space for medical, a restaurant and an Australian first “convenience butchery”.

The one-of-a-kind concept butcher had been designed by Mr Cavill and others to be different from any other and would “change what butcheries are all about”.

While there is space for a restaurant in the proposed building, Mr Cavill said there was a chance Cav’s could return in a new format but he could not make any promises.

The Cavill family have a long history in development dating back nearly a century. Jim Cavill’s famous hotel is pictured here after it was rebuilt following the 1936 fire. Picture supplied by Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Mr Cavill admitted there were bittersweet feelings about the day the last steak would be cooked.

“It will be a sad day but the future is extremely positive,” he said.

“There is a feeling at the moment that everyone is more upbeat about this and this motivates me even more.”

The proposed development is nearly double the size of Labrador’s existing seven-storey limit.

However, this is not expected to hold back the project, with documents from a pre-lodgement meeting between council officers and town planners showing there was “no specific objection’ to either its height or density.

Artist impressions by TVS Architects of a development planned for the Cav's Steakhouse site on Frank Street at Labrador, Images supplied by City of Gold Coast

City planning boss Cameron Caldwell said Cav’s was an iconic business in the area.

“The redevelopment of this iconic site would certainly mark a generational change in Labrador,” he said.

“High-rise development has already occurred east of Frank Street and Labrador is well-located close to Southport and its services and has been identified as an area for renewal.”

How Cavill family arrived in fledgling city

THE Cavills are the Gold Coast’s most famous family, having played a critical role in the creation of the modern city as we know it.

The heart of the city’s party precinct, Cavill Ave, today bears the family name and its legacy remains in plain sight after more than 90 years with Cav’s, a popular steakhouse at Labrador.

James Freeman Cavill, famously known as Jim, arrived in what was then known as the south coast region in the early 1920s and had his eye on some property in the small beachside suburb known as Elston.

Jim Cavill.

The Melbourne-born entrepreneur was an experienced publican, having run several businesses in Brisbane since the beginning of the 20th century, including Toowong’s Royal Exchange Hotel and Kedron Park Hotel.

In 1923 he gave it all up, transferred the licence to his son Richard and moved south, looking to make his fortune in the region which would one day become the Gold Coast.

Cavill bought 10ha plot of land in what is now the heart of Surfers Paradise and some of the city’s most valuable land.

This property, near the site of the former Main Beach Hotel was considered a prudent investment and Cavill mulled his opportunities before deciding to return to being a publican.

Within two years of his purchase he opened the iconic Surfers Paradise Hotel to coincide with the 1925 opening of a bridge across the Nerang River.

The 1.6ha hotel complex included gardens and a zoo and became a popular location.

Cavill soon got a financial boost when he sold off much of his land holdings for subdivision.

The zoo in particular became a major tourist attraction through the 1930s and 1940s while the hotel was soon so famous its name became synonymous with the area.

In 1929 the local surf club bore the Surfers Paradise name, as did a local progress association.

In 1933, the suburb of Elston was renamed Surfers Paradise after Cavill and others lobbied the government.

The original hotel burned to the ground in 1936 and a new one was built which stood on the corner of Surfers Paradise Boulevard – now the Gold Coast Highway – and what became known as Cavill Ave.

It was known for its ground-level Birdwatcher’s Bar where drinkers could keep an eye on passing pedestrians in the busy tourist hub, and its beer garden.

Jim died in 1952 at the age of 90 but his hotel had already gained iconic status and continued to operate until 1981 when it was demolished to make way for the Paradise Centre.

His great-grandson Richard went into the family business and worked at such iconic Gold Coast locations as Southport’s Pacific Hotel, which was later redeveloped to become Australia Fair, Mermaid Beach’s Lone Star Tavern and the original Fisherman’s Wharf.

In 1984 the family bought up Labrador’s Beef Baron Restaurant and redeveloped it to become the modern-day Cav’s.

During the 1980s it was a popular location for high-profile celebrities visiting the Gold Coast to enjoy a steak, including those who were in town performing for radio station 4GG such as Liberace.