The Surfers Paradise Hotel was the historic hotel that led to the development of

Surfers Paradise Surfing is a list of surface water sports, surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in Glossary of surfing, tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wind wave, wave of water, whic ...

in Queensland, Australia.

History

During the 1920s, the Australian hotelier Jim Cavill (born James Freeman Cavill) purchased 10 acres of land in Elston (now Surfers Paradise). The land has previously been developed by previous owners but 1925 marked the openings of the Jubilee Bridge and the South Coast Road, opening up the area to a new flow of driving tourists. That year (or in 1928), Jim Cavill opened the Surfers Paradise Hotel, a 16-bedroom hotel located on the intersection of the South Coast Road and the old coach track. Two other hotels opened at the same time. The flow of tourism gave a new economic beat to the area and Elston quickly became a fully-fledged city. The hotel included a private zoo. Jim Cavill founded the Surfers Paradise Life Saving Club and the Surfers Paradise Progress Association in 1929. In December 1933, Jim Cavill lobbied with locals to rename the city Elston to Surfers Paradise. In July 1936, the timber-built hotel burned down. All of the animals in the zoo were saved, except for the goldfish. The hotel was entirely rebuilt in bricks the following year, reopening in September 1937 with telephones in every room. The street where the hotel stands was renamed

Cavill Avenue Cavill Avenue is a street and a pedestrian mall in Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is in the heart of the Surfers Paradise shopping and entertainment district. It was named in honour of the man credited as the founder of ...

in 1945. Topsy the Talking Horse was a popular feature of the zoo in the 1940s and 1950s. Topsy would answer questions asked by the audience by nodding and shaking her head and tapping numeric answers with her hoof. Her trainer was Tom Dennison. In 1954, Topsy was taken to

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and British Overseas Territories. The name is also used in some other countries. Government Houses in th ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

to perform for

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

during their royal tour of Australia in 1954. The hotel was demolished in 1983 to make way for the Paradise Centre.

References

{{Commons category, Surfers Paradise Hotel Hotels in Queensland Defunct hotels in Australia Hotels established in 1925 1925 establishments in Australia Surfers Paradise, Queensland