CoolangattaHeritage Walk

Discover the history and heritage of Coolangatta.

Point Danger, 1891 Image courtesy of John Oxley Library. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Coolangatta beach and Marine Parade, 1935

Marine Parade, Coolangatta, 1950 Image courtesy of City of Gold

Coast Local Studies Library.

Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

View of Coolangatta, 1970

Contents

Aerial view over point danger and Coolangatta, 2003 Image courtesy of City of Gold

Coast Local Studies Library.

Quintessential holiday resort

Coolangatta Heritage Walk full loop map

Shipwrecks and borders- Named after a ‘perfect wreck’

Dividing the towns

Saving lives in Coolangatta since 1909The iconic structures that represent the history of Surf Life Saving in Coolangatta - Tweed Heads and Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club - Kirra Surf Life Saving Club - The Kirra Shelter Shed

Honouring those who served and remembering the fallen- The Great War - World War 2

Creating a destination- A place to stay, a place to play

The making of a community- Historic places of worship - A school brought on by the flu! - The CWA still stands - Historic places for recreation - A watering hole by any other name…

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The town of Coolangatta dates back to 1883 when the first land surveys of town allotments took place. It is one of the earliest settlements on the Gold Coast and a place whose history, topography and beach culture set it apart from other places on the Coast.

Named after the brigantine the Coolangatta which was wrecked off the beach at Kirra, it became the twin town to Tweed Heads across the border in 1883.

Initially, development in Coolangatta was slow. The opening of the railway from Brisbane to Coolangatta in 1903, however, brought with it crowds of people eager to visit the wide, safe beaches on the back of a growing interest in surf bathing. Coolangatta officially became the place to holiday with camping grounds and legendary guest houses like Greenmount, the Beach House and Stella Maris providing not only accommodation but organised social events as well.

The formation of the Coolangatta Town Council in 1914 allowed for a local government that was more focussed on the interests of the border town and this saw a recognition of the burgeoning tourist market and the creation of policies to capitalise on this.

The arrival of Spanish Influenza in 1919 saw the closing of the Queensland/New South Wales border. This prevented people freely crossing from one state to the other. As the bulk of local services and facilities were in Tweed Heads, this was the catalyst for the rapid development of services and facilities in Coolangatta. Hotels, shops, cafes, dance halls and theatres developed along Griffith Street and Marine Parade to cater for a population that could not cross the border and, in the early part of the twentieth century, could swell to around 30,000 during holiday periods.

During the Second World War, Coolangatta became a leave area for American service personnel. The influence of the Americans on Coolangatta was overwhelming. The US Army commandeered land and buildings where they established leave camps and brought with them new and exciting cultural practices. American men bathed ‘topless’, hot dogs and french fries were introduced and dancing the jitterbug to a big band saw the local community experience new freedoms.

Today, Coolangatta is the quintessential holiday resort town with a fascinating mix of heritage buildings, landscapes and modern high rise all shaped in part by the arrival of rail, the outbreak of influenza and the impact of American culture.

Quintessential holiday resort

1883 plan of the Town of Coolangatta.Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

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1. Site of the wreck of the Coolangatta

2. Kirra Beach Pavilion3. Kirra Shelter Shed4. Coolangatta ANZAC Memorial5. Wreck of the

Coolangatta Memorial6. Tweed Heads & Coolangatta

Surf Life Saving Club7. Coolangatta Norfolk pines8. Remains of Jack Evans

Porpoise Pool9. Captain Cook Memorial

and Lighthouse10. Francis Edward Roberts

Commemorative Plaque11. St Augustine’s Church12. Jazzland Dance Hall (former)13. Powell Brothers

Commemorative Trees14. Coolangatta State &

Special School (former)

A. Kirra Beach Hotel (formerly Lennons Kirra Hotel)

B. Rotary Memorial ClockC. Ocean View MotelD. Greenmount Beach ResortE. US Navy Leave Area Camp

No.4 (picnic shelter)F. St George’s Rest Home G. Qld/NSW Border Marker H. Country Women’s

Association buildingI. Coolangatta Bowls Club J. Goodwin Park War

Memorial and GardensK. Coolangatta Croquet ClubL. St Peter’s ChurchM. Methodist Church HallN. The Sands Hotel (formerly

Kirrabelle Hotel)O. Railway cutting – Chalk St

Coolangatta Heritage Walk Full Loop

Gold Coast Local Heritage Register places

Places of interest

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Named after a ‘perfect wreck’

The 88 tonne topsail schooner Coolangatta was built in a shipyard on the Shoalhaven River in 1843 by John Blundell for landowner Alexander Berry and named after his country estate. The original spelling of the schooner’s name was Coolongatta though this changed over time to become Coolangatta.

In July 1846, the Coolangatta left Brisbane to load 70,000 super feet of cedar at Tweed for southern ports. Captain Andrew Steele was the master of the ship and along with the crew, there were two passengers on board; prisoners George Craig and William George Lewis, en-route to Sydney gaol. One month later, in August 1846, the Coolangatta would be wrecked on Kirra beach. 1

The Moreton Bay Courier reported the tragedy in an article in August 29th 1846:

“Loss of the schooner Coolongatta. It is with regret that we have to report the loss of this schooner

on Wednesday the 18th instant at Point Danger, near the mouth of the Tweed River. The Coolangatta

left this port on the 6th ultimo to load cedar in the tweed but in consequence of the small depth of

water at the bar she could not enter the river and was necessitated to anchor on the north side of

point danger, for the purpose of rafting the timber from the shore. On the evening of Tuesday week the

wind blew strong from the north east and subsequently veered round to the eastward with increasing

force until Wednesday morning when the schooner parted with both anchors and was driven ashore

high and dry. The captain was on shore rafting timber at the time of the gale commence and we

believe was unable to reach the ship in consequence of the boat having stove a few days previous.

The crew saved themselves by swimming through the surf at the imminent risk of their lives.

There were two prisoners on board, one of them, Craig, had been sentenced by the Brisbane

bench to an iron gang and the other named Lewis had been committed for a breach of the Hired

Servants Act. The former had his irons knocked off and was thus enabled to swim for his life.

The captain crew and prisoners reached the pilot station at Amity on Tuesday evening last having

walked from Point Danger along the beach. On Thursday evening Captain Steele and the crew

went aboard the Tamar and proceeded to Sydney. The two prisoners were brought to Brisbane

yesterday in the pilots boat and immediately delivered themselves up to the chief constable.

The schooner has only her lower masts standing and is expected shortly to become a perfect

wreck as there is a good deal of sand in her already. She had a nearly full cargo of cedar on

board at the time the disaster occurred. The natives behaved very kindly to the shipwrecked

men and provided them with fish every evening during their stay at Point Danger.”

In 1884 when the area was formally surveyed for town allotments, it was the convention that the town surveyor, in this case Henry Schneider, supplied the town name. In light of the nearby wreck, he thought that Coolangatta would be a fitting name for the creek and the new township. And so the town of Coolangatta was officially named.

In March 1974, the wreck rose from the ocean bed and floated to shore following a cyclone. It was broken in two – the large timber framework and the copper sheeted bow. Fragments were collected by the Shire Council at this time. Nearby the wreck site is a Memorial to the Coolangatta. There is also a fragment of the wreck on display in Queen Elizabeth Park. 5

The Coolangatta wreck is listed on the Australian National Shipwreck Database (ID 2347) and is protected under the Commonwealth Historic Shipwrecks Act 1976.

Wreckage of a wooden vessel believed to be that of the Coolangatta near the mouth of Coolangatta Creek, c1970s .Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Shipwrecks and borders

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In 1862, plans were made by the Colonial Secretarys of Queensland and NSW to conduct a joint survey of the first section of the Queensland/New South Wales border – the watershed section. Two surveyors were chosen for the task, Francis Edward Roberts from Queensland and Isaiah Rowland from NSW. The Queensland Surveyor-General, A.C. Gregory stipulated that Roberts and Rowland should take their own measurements separately and in June 1863, the two surveyors began their survey at Point Danger.

The survey was an arduous task in difficult terrain and the surveyors depended on the help and knowledge of Aboriginal people. Such was the dependence on Aboriginal people that Roberts employed them, paying them wages at a time when Aboriginal people were more often exploited. With their help, the survey was completed by 1866.

Roberts and Rowland did not always survey the same line and there are deviations throughout the survey, however it was apparent from the outset that Roberts’ survey defined the border. This was accepted by both Queensland and New South Wales though there has yet been no formal agreement.

Initially, the border was marked with a fence extending from Point Danger through the twin towns with border gates for access across the border and a customs house established in the early 1870s to administer cross border trade. Thomas Carrick was the first New South Wales Customs officer.

In 1904, a double border fence was erected and encompassed a buffer strip of land known as ‘no man’s land’ that ran from Point Danger to Cobaki Broadwater. The intention of the

fence was to keep out the cattle tick which was infesting Queensland cattle herds. A turnstile which allowed people through was erected at Coolangatta and by 1914, the turnstile was replaced with an overbridge. This wide area of separation between the towns became particularly important during the Influenza epidemic of 1919 when the border was closed to aid in the prevention of the spread of the disease.

In December 1948 a small monument to honour the achievement of Queensland surveyor Francis Edward Roberts was unveiled. 10

By the early 1970s a new border monument had been established. It included archways, gardens and a waterfall and was popular with tourists as a unique photo opportunity. It was dismantled in 1991.

In 1999, the Gold Coast City and Tweed Shire Councils sought suggestions from the community for a another memorial to mark the border. The project was partly supported by the Commonwealth Government for Federation funding with the idea that the monument would represent the rich history associated with the border.

The proposal by Rodney Spooner, a Queensland artist, was accepted. The marker was designed in a contemporary style to reflect the past and signal the future for two communities working together. The design is symbolic of an unobstructed doorway between the two States and is located at the site of the early fence and gates as a reminder of that historical period. The border marker monument was officially opened on 15 January 2001. G

1899 1907 1910 1919

1930 1930 1970 2001

Dividing the towns

Queensland/New South Wales border 1899 - 2013. Images courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library and City of Gold Coast.

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The iconic structures that represent the history of surf life saving in Coolangatta

The development of surf life saving at Coolangatta began with the State’s first recorded rescue in 1909 by a group of local, aspiring surf life savers. Modelled on a group of New South Wales surf life savers from Bondi, they were equipped with a recently purchased demonstration reel, line and belt. The report in a February 1909 edition of The

Queenslander tells of the gravity of the situation;

“…four ladies ventured out beyond their depth.

(A) young man endeavoured to effect a rescue,

but was carried out. Fortunately there were others

in the vicinity who finally succeeded in getting the

whole party of five safely to shore, but the young

man and one of the ladies had almost expired…”

Tweed Heads and Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club

Two days after that first rescue, the Tweed Heads Surf and Life Saving Club 6 was formed. In 1911, the club was reformed to become the Tweed Heads and Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club and has, since that time, operated patrols on Greenmount Beach.

The first club house, a humble timber building, was replaced in 1936 with a more elaborate pavilion. One end of the building was leased to the surf club. The current club house was built

over and around the existing pavilion building in 1956 and has been altered over the years to accommodate the needs of the club.

The club has always attracted large summer crowds and was particularly popular during the 1950s when the famous Hokey Pokey, hosted by Doug Roughton, was danced on the lawn by big crowds and Sunday concerts were the norm.

The Tweed Heads & Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club c1958.Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

The Tweed Heads & Coolangatta Surf Life Saving Club c1936. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Saving lives in Coolangatta since 1909

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Kirra Beach, c1930 showing the 1922 Kirra Surf Life Saving Club house. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Kirra Surf Life Saving Club

The Kirra Surf Life Saving Club 2 was formed in 1916 following a tragic drowning.

The Brisbane Courier reported the drowning of Mr Robert Doran in January 1917: “He

had gone surfing at 6.30am with a friend, Mr

John George. Both were carried out by the

undercurrent and got into difficulties. Mr George

made an effort to save his companion, but

was unsuccessful, and only managed to save

himself by floating ashore on his back..”.

At a public meeting held at the Coolangatta Town Hall the following day, a group of residents decided to form the Kirra Life Saving Club. The first club house, a simple shed, was built in 1917 and replaced 5 years later

in 1922 by a larger timber pavilion which eventually boasted a roof top dance floor.

In 1935, construction began on the present pavilion. It was opened by the Queensland Governor in 1936 and newspaper reports noted that “it would be hard to find a better

building of its class elsewhere on the coast of

Australia”. The building was designed in the Tudor Revival style by architect John Beebe and included a kiosk, changing facilities and public conveniences, as well as rooms for the use of the Kirra Surf Life Saving Club. Over time, the building has been altered and additions made to accommodate the needs of the surf club.

The Kirra Shelter Shed

The Kirra Shelter Shed 3 has also been a fixture on Kirra Beach for the better part of a century. Early photographs of Kirra Beach show the shelter in place by around 1910, although the project to provide a public shelter is sometimes reported as a joint initiative of the Coolangatta Council and the Kirra Surf Life Saving Club.

Described in 1924 as a “very fine shelter

shed”, it has been a continuous part of the Kirra Beach landscape since its construction and has withstood a number of cyclones during that time. In 2004, due to deterioration, the shelter was reconstructed by Council.

Saving lives in Coolangatta since 1909

Kirra Beach, c1910. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Kirra Shelter Shed, 2010.Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

Kirra Beach Pavilion, c1940s. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

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Honouring those who served and remembering the fallen

St George’s F , a soldiers’ rest home, was established on Marine Parade in 1917 by the Soldiers’ Church of England Help Society. This was greatly supported by the local community and by 1922, it was reported that 4000 returned soldiers had enjoyed a rest at the home with no charge. The “sole qualification

for admission was steadiness of conduct.” The Brisbane Courier, 22 June 1922.

In 1953, the original timber rest home was replaced with a more solid brick building with extensions added in 1958 and 1961. It is an example of almost 100 years of strong community spirit and commitment to those who serve.

St George’s holiday home, Marine Parade, Coolangatta, 2013. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

The Great War

Commemoration and the establishment of memorials to those who served and gave their lives in World War 1 was a nation-wide undertaking and Coolangatta, with its tight knit community, was no exception. In Coolangatta, the Methodist congregation erected a memorial church M in 1924, dedicated to the Methodist soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War. This was the first church to be erected in Coolangatta. It remains on its original site and is now used by the church as a hall.

In 1926, the well known Coolangatta ANZAC memorial 4 was constructed in the centre of the intersection of Griffith and McLean Streets. The obelisk was a popular design all over Australia. Here, it is carved with crossed rifles, (suggested by some to symbolise the soldier who had no further use of his weapon), and the top of the obelisk is draped with a funeral shroud. The memorial is the work of monumental masonry firm A. L. Petrie and Son of Brisbane and is indicative of many World War 1 structures that were erected throughout the state during and after the First World War.

As Coolangatta grew, development pressure saw the memorial moved to Queen Elizabeth Park in 1933. It has since been relocated within the park a number of times.

The Anzac Memorial in its original location at the intersection of Griffith and McLean Street, Coolangatta, c1930. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Opening ceremony for the Coolangatta Methodist Memorial Church, 1924.Image courtesy of John Oxley Library.

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Honouring those who served and remembering the fallen

Powell brothers memorial trees, Garrick Street, 2012. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

Memorials to those who served in World War 2 were also constructed by the community to honour local men and women. The Coolangatta War Memorial in Goodwin Park J , officially unveiled in 1948, was originally located at the entrance to the Coolangatta Town Council Chambers in Griffith Street. The granite and sandstone monument, again the work of A. L. Petrie, was moved to Goodwin Park when the council building was demolished.

A matching clock B was installed a few years later by the Rotary Club of Coolangatta-Tweed Heads to commemorate the Golden Anniversary of the founding of Rotary 1905 – 1955. The clock was dedicated to the 508 local men and women of the twin towns who served in the Second World War. This memorial was also located at the entrance of the Coolangatta Town Council Chambers. It was later moved to its current location in Queen Elizabeth Park and positioned in such as way as to line up with its counterpart, the Coolangatta War Memorial, in Goodwin Park.

Family memorials to loved ones lost in the war were also common. The Powell Brothers trees 13 were planted along Garrick Street, near the old Coolangatta school, in honour of brothers John, Arthur, Ivan, Laurence and Lance Powell of Coolangatta, all of whom served in World War 2. Laurence and Lance both lost their lives while serving during the war.

Coolangatta War Memorial in its original location in front of the Coolangatta Town Council Chambers.Image courtesy of Deslie Dolan.

World War 2

World War 2 brought with it a large presence of US Army personnel in Coolangatta.

Rest and recreation camps were established in prime locations and the remnants of those can still be seen today in some of the timber pavilions that dot the foreshore. The stone clad picnic shelter in Pat Fagan Park on Greenmount Hill is a remnant of the U.S. Greenmount Hill Camp No. 4. E

1968 aerial view of Greenmount Hill. The picnic shelter can be seen on top of the hill. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Greenmount Hill Camp No. 4 picnic shelter, 2012. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

The Coolangatta Memorial Clock in its original location in front of the Gold Coast City Council Chambers, Coolangatta, 1979. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

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Creating a destination

When the trains O first began to arrive in Coolangatta in 1903 they brought with them people with a newly developed interest in surf bathing. The train station was located in Griffith Street and this provided a direct link for people from Brisbane and Ipswich to easily access the glorious beaches Coolangatta had to offer. Sometimes up to 1000 people would come in a single day.

This early tourist market also sought affordable accommodation and other recreation opportunities. Coolangatta obliged and over time, the establishment of renowned guest houses and motels, coupled with tourist attractions, dance halls and hotels saw Coolangatta regarded as the place to be.

Greenmount Guesthouse D was established in 1904 to cater for the early tourist market. A grand sprawling building on the top of Greenmount Hill, it was the first of many legendary guesthouses to line Marine Parade. Stella Maris, St Leonards, and the Beach House were some of the guesthouses at their peak in the 1920s. While accommodation was basic, the guesthouses were the social hubs for holiday makers and competitions between guesthouses were commonly played out on the beaches to the delight of the large crowds.

A place to stay, a place to play

Looking towards Coolangatta as the train approaches, c1912. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Greenmount Guesthouse, 1916. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Stella Maris guesthouse 1914. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Beach House guesthouse 1920. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Marine Parade, Coolangatta c1940, showing the guesthouses and Norfolk pines lining the street. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Ocean View Motel, 2013. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

The guesthouses overlooked Marine Parade with clear views to the beach and, coupled with beautification of the foreshore which began in 1924 with the planting of Norfolk pines, Coolangatta took on the look and feel of a seaside resort town. Planting continued into the 1930s and over 1000 Norfolk pines 7 were planted in Coolangatta to beautify the

foreshores and principal streets of the town.

Later, as the tourist market C changed, motels became popular. The Ocean View Motel on Marine Parade is a very retro reminder of how the accommodation scene looked in Coolangatta in the 1950s and 60s.

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Creating a destination

Tourist attractions flourished to cater for the continual tourist market and Jazzland 12 was particularly popular. It was opened in 1933 and described as one of the most modern dance halls in Queensland. During World War 2, it became important as one of the places frequented by the American servicemen on leave in Coolangatta. For this reason, Jazzland was reputedly known to thousands of young people throughout the Commonwealth. It was the era of the big band and the introduction of American dance styles saw Coolangatta develop a freedom and culture quite different to other parts of the Gold Coast. With the changing times, Jazzland closed its doors in 1951 and became a Penney’s store.

In the mid 1950s, Jack Evans and his wife built the Snapper Rocks Sea Baths 8 . It was one of the Gold Coast’s first purpose built tourist attractions. The baths were so popular that Jack decided to incorporate a shark pool for public viewing. This was also popular and he surmised that porpoises would be popular with the public too. Jack obtained two bottle nosed dolphins who were accidently netted by a couple of local fishermen, and the famous Jack Evans Pet Porpoise Show began. In 1961, Jack moved the porpoise pool aquarium operations to the mouth of the Tweed River. Today, only remnants of the original attraction remain at Snapper Rocks.

Crowd at Jazzland, 1950. Image source unknown.

Jack Evans’ sea baths, 1958. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library. Photgrapher Laurie Holmes.

Point Danger, 1969, prior to the construction of the Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse, 1982. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

By 1970, the Tweed Shire Council and the Gold Coast City Council, came to an agreement in a desire to have a suitable landmark to serve the twin towns. The Captain Cook Memorial and Lighthouse was conceived with the final design produced by Gold Coast City Council architect L. F. Nyerges. Constructed in 1970 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Captain Cook’s voyage along the east coast of Australia, the joint project was designed to serve as a landmark and tourist attraction. 9

The addition of the laser beam light as a navigation aid was a world first. It was shown at the 1970 Electronics Trade Fair in Stockholm and more than thirty countries enquired about the new technology, effectively putting Coolangatta on the map as a place of forward thinking innovation. Unfortunately, the laser beam proved unsuccessful and a conventional electric lamp was later installed.

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The making of a community

St Augustine’s Church 11 opened on Sunday 26 December, 1926 with Father Leo Carlton as Parish Priest. Designed by J. P. Donoghue in the Italian Romanesque style, it would change the skyline in Coolangatta and dominate the landscape for years to come with its campanile of 110 feet (33 metres). For the local Catholic community, the church became the focus for both social and spiritual life, and continues to serve that purpose today.

Methodist Church hall, 2013. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

St Augustine’s Church, 1930. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

St Peter’s Anglican Church, 2013. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

St Peter’s Anglican Church L was built in 1937. When Archbishop Wand laid the foundation stone in a ceremony attended by 200 people, he remarked that “he knew of few places where the

gifts of God had been showered so bountifully as

at Coolangatta.” The Courier-Mail, November 1937. The new church was to mark the beginning of great progress for the Coolangatta Anglican community.

A school brought on by the flu!

When the Spanish Influenza epidemic arrived and New South Wales closed its border, children in Coolangatta who attended the school in Tweed Heads, found themselves without a place for education. The Coolangatta Council had been lobbying for a school since 1916 but it was the flu that finally forced the Government to establishment the state school 14 on the hill in Coolangatta.

The school officially opened in October 1920 and provided a place for education until 2006. The threat of demolition saw a strong and dedicated community push to save the place and the State Government agreed to retain the land in public ownership for public use. The Gold Coast City Council took on trusteeship of the site and the building was restored to serve as a community facility.

The first church to be constructed in Coolangatta was the Methodist Church M . Completed by 1925, the building provided a place of worship and a focus for events for the Methodist community. The building now functions as the church hall.

Historic places of worship

Coolangatta State School, 1940. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

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The making of a community

The Coolangatta and Tweed Heads bowlers played within the one club. As membership grew and the needs of members changed, the club separated and in 1949, the Coolangatta Bowls Club was formed. I

Coolangatta CWA building, Griffith Street, 2013. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

Coolangatta Bowls Club, c1951. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Coolangatta Croquet Club, 2013. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast.

Kirrabelle Hotel, c1949. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Lennons Kirra Hotel, c1959. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Croquet was first played in Coolangatta in the gardens of interested residents before a club was formally established in 1949. The results of extensive community fundraising efforts were realised in 1954 with the opening of the club house K on land leased from the Department of Lands. For over sixty years, the croquet club has been a place of community recreation in Coolangatta.

Named the Kirrabelle Hotel N , The Port O Call Hotel and now the Coolangatta Sands Hotel, this building has been an important part of the Coolangatta streetscape since 1923. Historic hotels like this are a rarity on the Gold Coast and it continues to play its part in Coolangatta history as the locals’ watering hole.

Lennons Kirra Hotel, now known as the Kirra Beach Hotel A , was constructed in 1956 by the Lennons Hotel Group. It was modern for its time and many families spent holidays accommodated there. “One outstanding feature of the hotel was that on two occasions the

sea washed into the bar.” Arch Nicholson, Now and Then, 2010, Gold Coast City Council.

The new club building for the Coolangatta-Tweed Heads branch of the County Women’s Association was opened in July 1937 H . The branch itself had been formed in 1928, a time when things were very different in Coolangatta and the association was particularly concerned with “making happier the lot of the women

and children on the land.” The presence of this historic building, dwarfed by modern development, is a reminder of the early Coolangatta community and its values.

The CWA still stands A watering hole by any other name…

Historic places for recreation

View from Kirra Hill of the crowd gathered on Coolangatta beach, c1935. Image courtesy of City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library.

Coolangatta marks the southern end of the strip of surfing beaches that runs from the State border to Main Beach. It has the distinctive form of a town locked between the twin headlands of Kirra and Greenmount Hills, the mountains and the sea. It is a place of special character within the city because of its early settlement, role as a border town and railway terminus, its topography and the early development of a still thriving beach culture.

Prepared by City of Gold Coast Office of City Architect and Heritage, June 2013.

Special thanks to Councillor Chris Robbins, City of Gold Coast Local Studies Library and John Oxley Library, and Sue Burnett from the Kirra Hill Heritage Group.