When you live in a city day to day it’s often easy to forget the progress and change that has occurred.
Several months ago the ‘feeling’ in Surfers Paradise wasn’t great. We seemed to have an abundance of empty shops and ‘for lease’ signs and there was constant noise with the development of the foreshore, Soul and the Hilton Hotel.
Three months on and there is a very different feel. The new foreshore development is a great facility for walkers, joggers and beach goers with excellent facilities provided. Soul and the Hilton Hotel are now open and an eclectic group of shops and restaurants and cafes are now in business. There’s a fresh new feel with an Asian bakery, Mos Burger and a Beach Café under Soul and the Hilton is now featuring an Apple Store, Groove Train Restaurant, a Versace Store and a French Connection clothing store. For the ‘foodie’ THE STORE in the Hilton offers a fabulous deli, wine bar and coffee shop experience. For the discerning diner there’s now the Salt Grill with Luke Mangan as head chef in the Hilton.
The land mark DFS shop on the corner of Cavill Mall is currently empty but refurbishment work is progressing at a fast pace and new tenants should prove to be an easy find with the great location.
Looking ahead, Gold Coast City Council’s $6.9 million redevelopment of Cavill Avenue begins March 1 for a projected late October 2012 completion.
Featuring improved lighting, outdoor awnings and a stenciled asphalt surface the new-look Cavill Mall will complement the redeveloped foreshore and breathe fresh life into the precinct.
2011 has been a tough year for many businesses on the Coast but as we enter 2012 the central city landscape has a renewed energy.
