Cavill Mall Surfers Paradise

The Cavill Mall functions as the central spine of Surfers Paradise, marked by a massive, arching sign that spans the pedestrian walkway and spells out the area name in bright, vintage-style bulbs. Before it became this paved strip of shops and street performers, the land belonged to Jim Cavill, who built his Southern Hotel here in nineteen twenty-five. He cleared the surrounding tea tree scrub and turned the site into the primary meeting point for locals and beachgoers decades before the high-rises appeared.