The Old Station
45 Nerang Street
The site of 45 Nerang Street has been part of Southport’s story since 1922, when the Gold Coast’s first ambulance station was built here, directly adjacent to the Town Hall and the Southport Courthouse. The station serviced the region for more than 50 years before transitioning to government office use in the 1980s.
By the time the Howe family acquired the property, the original building had been substantially altered — the street façade had been removed during government modernisation works in the 1960s and replaced with a screen wall, and the interiors had deteriorated significantly. In 2002, the family enlisted Burling Brown Architects and Weathered Howe Engineers to rebuild the property as a modern commercial building, with a new facade inspired by the building’s past. The result is a contemporary workspace that pays tribute to the site’s heritage through its design, while meeting the demands of a modern commercial environment.
Today, The Old Station is a fully modernised office and coworking facility, home to around 30 businesses with meeting rooms, kitchens, outdoor and balcony entertainment space, parking for 11 cars, and a coffee shop.
Key dates: original building 1922; rebuilt and modernised 2002; coworking facility since 2012.
Architect: Burling Brown Architects (2002 rebuild); Weathered Howe Engineers
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The Postmasters Residence
The Residence is named after its previous civic use as a home to the Southport Postmaster’s Family from 1908–1965. It became the Postmaster General’s Residence due to its convenient location directly next to the Gold Coast’s major post office. In the late 1960s, the Southport Post Office was rebuilt, and a telephone exchange was added.
The role of the Postmaster General had changed, so in 1967, The Residence was rebuilt entirely and became the Maternal and Child Welfare Centre. For nearly 50 years, the Centre housed nurses and sisters upstairs and serviced Gold Coast mothers and children downstairs. In 2015 the site was abandoned, and in 2017, the building was purchased by the Howe Family, who in 2002 had also rebuilt the former Ambulance Station next door at 45 Nerang Street Southport. The Residence is now a fully modernised multi-purpose commercial building with tenants such as Study Gold Coast, Gold Coast Student Hub and Mr P.P.’s Deli.
The Residence Now
The Residence was refurbished in 2017 and is now home to a private office, International Student Hub, lane way and rooftop bar.
Undertakings included re-purposing the rooftop into a verandah and rooftop bar for Mr P.P.’s, which is named after the original Postmaster General, Mr PP Agnew. Also a full building renovation for Study Gold Coast which includes 450m2 NLA.