The Pink Poodle
The Pink Poodle was an iconic motel in Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia. It was located on the corner of Fern Street and the Gold Coast Highway. Although no longer extant, its signage remains and is listed on the Gold Coast Local Heritage Register.[1]
History
The Pink Poodle was built in 1967 and features a neon sign of a pink poodle. Many felt it was synonymous with the "glitzy" allure of the Gold Coast and it was frequently used as an image to depict the Gold Coast. The motel was demolished in 2004 but the sign was preserved and relocated a short distance to 18 Fern Street. A bar and restaurant in the new development that replaced it bears the name "The Pink Poodle".[2]
In 2005, the National Trust of Queensland nominated the sign to be one of Queensland's Heritage Icons.[2]
In 2015, the signage appeared on a postage stamp issued by Australian Post as part of its Signs of the Times series.[3]
In popular culture
In 1995, author Matthew Condon published a novel "A night at the Pink Poodle" about the rise and fall of a Gold Coast highrise apartment salesman.[4]
References
- ^ "Gold Coast Local Heritage Register: N-Z" (PDF). Gold Coast City Council. pp. 97–98. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ a b Laughlin, Shaya (1 September 2015). "The iconic Pink Poodle neon sign in Surfers Paradise to feature on new stamps". Gold Coast Bulletin. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ "Australia Post 'flicks the switch' in a new neon-signs stamp issue". Australia Post. 31 August 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ Condon, Matthew (1995), A night at the Pink Poodle, Arrow Australia, ISBN 978-1-74166-590-1