Pink Poodle Motel Sign in Surfers Paradise

Pink Poodle Motel Sign is located in Surfers Paradise

Address: 18 Fern Street (Corner Fern Street and Gold Coast Highway), Surfers Paradise

Position on map:

The remnants of the late 1960s Pink Poodle Motel are historically significant as an example of a phase in the pattern of development of the tourism industry which has been influential in the development of the Gold Coast. The distinctive freestanding Pink Poodle neon sign, the replica Pink Poodle façade signage and original poodle terrazzo floor insert are all products of the fun and fantasy phase of development on the Gold Coast in the 1960s that defined the cultural identity of the region as a tourist destination. As a result of rapid commercial development, particularly along the Surfers Paradise ‘tourist strip’, the fantasy design of the Pink Poodle pieces has become increasingly uncommon. Despite redevelopment of the Pink Poodle Motel site in 2003, the façade signage, terrazzo floor insert and Pink Poodle neon sign, have ensured the retention of the landmark presence and symbolism of the Gold Coast fun and fantasy phase. The Pink Poodle pieces have a special association with the Surfers Paradise community as a symbolic representation of the past in the present, demonstrating an aspect of the past which contributed to the community’s present identity.

Queensland Heritage Register: NO
Heritage protection boundary: Sign plus 5m radius, façade sign and terrazzo floor panel