Southport Pier, Gold Coast

Southport Pier

Southport Pier, 1915
Spans	Gold Coast Broadwater
Locale	Gold Coast
Total length	200 feet (61 m), extended to 900 feet (270 m)
Opening date	28 November 1883, re-opened 2009
Destruction date	1969

Southport Pier is a pier spanning the Gold Coast Broadwater in Southport, a suburb on the Gold Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. The current pier was constructed in 2009, replacing a previous structure demolished in 1969.

Located in the sheltered Broadwater, the pier and its surrounds was an attraction to visitors in the late 19th and the first half of the 20th century who sailed along the coast or, after the arrival of the railway, traveled down from Brisbane by steam train. Passengers were also transported to Brisbane via steamboats.

Southport has had a number of jetties along the curve of beach between the mouth of the Nerang River and Deep Water Point in Labrador, some of them operating concurrently, since the 1870s. With out a wharf or similar structure it was not possible to land goods or passengers directly onto the shore without using a smaller boat.

Differing opinions were held within the growing township as to the best position for a wharf or jetty. In February 1879 two delegations traveled to Brisbane to put forward their respective cases. One group was in favour of constructing the jetty in a position central to the township which they anticipated growing northwards. The other group preferred the jetty to be built to the south where the current owners were selling lots.

The first permanent jetty in Southport was built to the south of the township near the mouth of the Nerang River opposite the Southport Hotel near the present day northern approach of the Gold Coast Bridge. Originally owned by Richard Gardiner, in early 1878 the Southport Hotel was sold to Mr. William Charles Maund who constructed a substantial jetty the following year. The jetty was designed by Mr. H. Barnes who was part of the first survey trip by the Harbours and Rivers Department mapping local waterways. The survey party were staying at the hotel which was, at the time, the only accommodation in the area. It was built by private subscription for £52 and was approximately 280 foot long and six foot wide. The jetty included a tram track along its length to aid in unloading and transferring luggage and other items from the steamers arriving at Southport It opened in late 1879 with additional work undertaken to create a channel between the new jetty and Deepwater Point at Labrador. By May 1880, it was reported that Mr. Maund, the hotelier, had substantially enlarged the existing jetty.