History

Miami started as an uninhabitable scrub and bushland with a picturesic Pacific Ocean view and tabled sand lands from ocean to the inlands. The History of Miami dates back to the 1920’s to where the only entity present during most of the early 1900’s was that of a large Military Base built through the great War to defend our shores.

It wasn’t until the early 1920’s that prospective investors started to see Miami as a ‘liveable’ topography. The very first real estate development came shortly after with the development of Miami’s first homes to the area, The Miami Shores. Miami Shores were fibro and wooden bungalows that were put on the market to entice holiday makers to the area and be leased out to holidaying families from far and wide.

After the booming success of these bungalows E.H.Berry decided to enter the Miami market and build Miami’s first hotel appropriately named, ‘Hotel Miami’.

E.H.Berry’s vision of providing Miami’s hotspot hospitality venture would stand the test of time for nearly a century on the same block of dirt to what is now known as ‘The Miami’. After renovations in each decade ensuing it’s build, the site always had an establishment that was centrally focused on entertainment and capturing the pacific ocean view.

It wasn’t until 1966 that the E.H.Berry’s Hotel Miami’s land would birth in a new age of hospitality to the area, The Miami Tavern. From 1966 until the early 1990’s the tavern would take on multiple owners until Australia’s leading hospitality Group, ALH, steps in to acquire the venue in 1993 and holds until this day.

The Tavern has always been known for it’s entertainment. Early in the piece the Miami Tavern held beauty contests straight from the sand to tavern until its’ more recent years hosting local and international bands and acts.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the tavern. In 2005, Gold Coast City Council approved plans to demolish the tavern to make way for two ten storey high rises with 81 units, shopfronts and a small hotel to replace The Miami Tavern on the exterior of the second highrise. Fortunately, due to public interjections and other factors, Miami Tavern remained to this day and the preservation of the rich cultural watering hole remained.

Now this historic venue goes into a new era.