Breezeblocks were popularly used at the Gold Coast from the late 1950s to the 1970s, then as different building materials became available and stylistic trends changed, they lost favour and their ubiquity has been declining with each renovation and redevelopment. I started photographing breezeblocks in the mid 1990s when we surveyed the city for the Gold Coast’s first Urban Heritage & Character Study.
It has been pleasing to see a revival of breezeblocks in recent years. HOTA’s upcoming exhibition ‘Lost in Palm Springs’ will surely feature breeze blocks in artworks and photographs related to the qualities of mid-20th century modern architecture. So we were baffled to learn that the council intends to replace these two breezeblock park shelters in Broadbeach. The new shelters are to be like the three that have recently been installed in Kurrawa Park, which are skimpy and soulless.
The existing breezeblock shelters were built in the 1970s. They are sturdy, in good condition and easy to maintain. They provide functional, comfortable social spaces. The breezeblock walls allow ventilation and visibility, and they cast decorative shadow patterns in sunshine.
We think it would be a mistake, and unnecessary to replace the breezeblock shelters so our Better Broadbeach association alerted the local councillor, CEO and heritage department of our desire to keep these structures, and we nominated them for listing on the Local Heritage Register.
They’re not highly significant heritage buildings, but they are perfectly fit for purpose, and in a modest way they contribute to the 'sense of place' in this locality. Broadbeach is changing massively, but let’s hold on to a few bits of The Old Coast so that we don’t only have photos to remind us of the past.
I’ve never found time to write a proper story about Gold Coast breezeblocks, and perhaps I never will, so now seems a good time to make a scrolling gallery of some photos from my archives at the end of this post. Many, or maybe most, here have already disappeared.
I’d be grateful for anyone with local breezeblock pictures to post your own, tag @the_old_coast and add the unique aggregating hashtag #gcbreezeblocks
And if you want to learn more about the use of breezeblocks in Queensland, there’s a great Masters thesis (2014) by local Broadbeach architect Pam Deasy, called “Blocked Out: the role of breeze block within contemporary architectural history in south east Queensland from 1955 to 1970.
