The construction of Stanley Korman’s Chevron Hotel complex began in February 1957 with the cabaret opening upstairs in August 1957. The Skyline Cabaret and Lounge was only one of many rooms offering different styles and options for entertainment in the complex. Other venues within the Chevron complex included: Moomba Room, Fontainebleau Room, South Seas Lounge and Pearl Bar, Golden Peacock Room, Corroboree Room (Convention Centre), Pink Elephant nightclub, the Long Bar and Quarterdeck.
The Skyline Lounge with its casual atmosphere and outdoor style furniture was reminiscent of a beer garden. The idea of an outdoor beer garden was already well established in Australia but, while the Chevron Hotel had gardens for guests, there was insufficient area for an outdoor bar area similar to the very popular outdoor beer garden at the nearby Surfers Paradise Hotel.
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- The Chevron Skyline Cabaret Nightclub, 1958. Photographer Laurie Holmes
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- Maori Hi Fives performing in the Skyline Cabaret, circa 1958. Photographer Alexander McRobbie
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- Interior of the Skyline Cabaret and Beer Garden, circa 1958. Photographer Arthur Leebold
The concept of having a beer garden style venue inside the building with large windows taking in the views was a new concept in Australia and was well received with the Skyline becoming one of the most popular and well-remembered venues of the time.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s it was the largest entertainment venue on the Gold Coast with many international acts, including the Maori Hi Fives, Ricky May and Colleen Hewitt appearing on stage.
In 1962 Stanley Korman sold the Chevron Hotel and, following an expansion across Ferny Avenue, the complex closed in 1981. The Chevron Hotel and most of the accommodation buildings had been demolished by the late 1990s with construction of the Chevron Renaissance by the Raptis Group beginning in 2000.
Sources of information and further reading
- McRobbie, Alexander. The Fabulous Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise: Pan News, 1984.
- Fraser, Fred. “High Jinks Hotel: where the tales flowed fast as the beer.” Gold Coast Bulletin, 4 May, 1989, p. 4.
- Weekend Bulletin Supplement, 21-22, Oct, 2000, p. 2.
