Ann Wason Moore on why the Gold Coast can learn from ‘mirror image’ city Anaheim

Like the GC, Anaheim is the home of theme parks, lives in the shadow of a major metropolis and even has a mayor by the same name … it could also show us how to go back to the future.

Bye-bye Burleigh.

While some would say the suburb’s soul was long gone, the demolition of the 90-year old Burleigh Theatre Arcade this week was the official end for many.

Taking its place will be a new 14-storey, 46-unit complex on the Goodwin Terrace site, which will still feature the original ‘bookend’ facade at the front of the building,

It’s better than nothing, but only just. This is no blame game, but the truth is that we allowed this historic site sink into, well, history. The space was ripe for redevelopment because it was never energised … and now all that will be left is a clunky brick facade.

While we can’t change the past, we can try to save it moving forward.

Demolition on the controversial redevelopment of the old Burleigh Threate has started, marking the end of the 1930s building. Picture Glenn Hampson

That’s a lesson I learned in a city that’s almost our mirror image – but on steroids.

Just like the Gold Coast, Anaheim is famous as the home to fabulous theme parks, but it’s also a town that has carved out its own reputation despite living in the shadow of a major metropolis next door. For us, that’s Brisbane. For Anaheim, that’s Los Angeles.

But where Anaheim excels is in not just holding on to its history, but activating it in a way that secures its future as a tourist mecca.

Visiting the Orange County town, we dared to divert from the well-worn Disneyland path (of course we still visited, it’s the happiest place on Earth after all) and discovered some old secrets, literally.

Number one was the Anaheim Packing District, one of the last remaining citrus packing warehouses in Orange County, which was historically preserved and retrofitted as a great American market hall.

Built in 1919, the Anaheim Packing House, a Spanish revival building, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 and the packing house was painstakingly transformed, via several years and several million dollars in renovations, into an incredible food hall and market place, featuring a large atrium and outdoor dining spaces.

Anaheim Packing House

The food was amazing and the award-winning building was filled with tourists and locals alike. It was a glimpse of what could have been, and maybe what could be, if we manage to hang on to our own historic sites.

Fun fact: the precinct was officially opened back in 2014 by the mayor of Anaheim whose name was … Tom Tait. You can’t make this up.

But that’s not all.

It wasn’t just our destinations, but our accommodation.

Staying at the Howard Johnson Anaheim, originally built in 1965, just 10 years after Disneyland opened – and conveniently across the street, walking into our hotel room was like a blast from the past – but with flatscreen TV, USB chargers and deluxe bathroom fittings and fixtures.

Anaheim Packing House

When the resort was recently renovated, rather than knocking down the decades-old buildings and creating towering high-rises, the developers embraced the history of the site, they even rebuilt an original Disneyland attraction – the house of the future, except now it’s called the house of the retro future. It’s like the Jetsons come to life.

And, once again, the building features award-winning architecture.

I only wish this was what the Gold Coast had done with the likes of the Pink Poodle. Just like the Old Burleigh Theatre, keeping an old sign or a brick facade is not honouring or celebrating our history, it’s lip-service.

We need to not just hang on to the past, but reimagine it into the future. Find the niche that makes us special.

That’s exactly what another Anaheim classic did, with California’s very first theme park – Knott’s Berry Park. Built before Disneyland, it stayed alive not just through some insane rides but also, once again, embracing its history as a berry farm. From jams to chicken dinners, the park has become a destination for foodies alone … whether you choose to ride a roller coaster after that, well, that’s at your own discretion.

Pink Poodle motel sign in Surfers Paradise

And, speaking of niches, another tip for any intrepid future US travellers: make sure you experience what America invented – outlet shopping.

We used our final hours before a late-night flight at the Citadel Outlets, the closest outlet mall to LAX, to fill any remaining space in our suitcases and spend any remaining US dollars. And we succeeded. The outlets also offered a VIP room to chill before our flight and, given the ‘comforts’ of that Qantas flight on which we were about to embark, thank God we rested in peace beforehand.

(And here’s a tip for any tourists here on the Gold Coast – you can do the same at Harbourtown, 10/10 recommend.)

Look, the future of our city looks incredibly bright, and it’s no doubt we’re dealing with the pressures of our popularity when it comes to fitting everyone in and trying to find an avenue towards affordability, but it would pay dividends if we could hold on to as much history as we can. We don’t have a lot, which makes it all the more precious.

Just ask Mayor Tait.

Originally published as Ann Wason Moore on why the Gold Coast can learn from ‘mirror image’ city Anaheim