Main Beach Pavilion and Southport Surf Lifesaving Club

A visit to Main Beach on the Southport Spit provides a glimpse into the world of sea bathing in the 1930s; a time when Victorian notions of public bathing for its perceived curative powers were swept aside in favour of surfing as a recreational pursuit. Main Beach became more accessible from Southport after the completion of the Jubilee Bridge in 1925. The 1934 Spanish Mission style bathing pavilion, designed by Hall and Phillips, included change rooms, toilets and showers, with an ambulance station and an entertainment hall for dancing. The origins of the adjacent Southport Lifesaving Club date to 1912. Following the demise of an early clubhouse in a storm in 1936, the club obtained financial assistance from the council to build a new clubhouse, also designed by Hall and Phillips. It has had a number of additions over the years, but maintains the essence of its original style, best viewed from Macarthur Parade as you approach the beach. The bathing pavilion has been recently remodelled into a cafe. The area has large groves of Norfolk pines, planted in the 1930s. These graceful trees have become synonymous with the Australian seaside since early plantings in the 1890s at Manly in Sydney.