Surfers Paradise’s Old Hard Rock Cafe Is Set to Become a 900-Person Brewpub Pouring 4 Pines Beers
For more than a quarter century, no trip to the Gold Coast was complete without seeing the Hard Rock Cafe’s giant neon guitar. Maybe you weren’t on your way to the music-themed bar and restaurant. Maybe you’ve actually never set foot in it. But if you’ve been to Surfers Paradise you’ve still seen the towering musical instrument. It also functioned as a convenient meeting place because everyone – tourists, locals and Brisbanes on weekend breaks along the coast – could instantly recognize it.
In 2022, the Hard Rock Cafe said goodbye to its Paradise Center spot at the corner of Cavill Ave and Surfers Paradise Boulevard, and its sky-high guitar has now said goodbye with it. But this closure makes room for a new addition: The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines, a brewpub offshoot of the sports bar brand, which will open its second location with 4 Pines Brewing Company by summer 2024.
The prime location is currently undergoing a $6.5 million renovation that will create a microbrewery and the Gold Coast’s largest island bar. 4 Pines will take care of the former, and its beers will pump through some of the venue’s 80 taps, including special editions mixed with Queensland in mind.
The Hard Rock Cafe wasn’t small — it needed space to house all the music memorabilia — and the Sporting Globe x 4 Pines won’t be either, as it seats 900 guests. The brewpub will also feature a restaurant with an undisclosed menu and event space.
Guests can swap music for sports and catch their favorite codes on 70 HDTVs and a nine-screen video wall. While seated in The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines’ signature cabins, you’ll also view touchscreen cabin televisions.
Although this is only The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines Brewpub’s second time following the first operating at Sydney’s King Street Wharf, the Sporting Globe brand spans 19 bars across the country. In Queensland it has locations in Robina on the Gold Coast and Logan and Chermside in Brisbane, with all The Sporting Globe venues falling under the Signature Hospitality Group.
“The Sporting Globe has grown significantly since its launch in Geelong 13 years ago, with an established network of events in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia and a growing presence in Queensland,” said James Sinclair, Founder and CEO of The Sporting Globe, at the Announcing new Cavill Avenue digs.
“Iconic Surfers Paradise was a natural next step that the team and I have been working towards for a long time. The unique experience and atmosphere we are creating will be a huge asset in the continued effort to revitalize the precinct and reinvigorate Surfers as the original and true heartbeat of the Gold Coast,” he continued.
“4 Pines has an impeccable reputation for crafting legendary beers and we look forward to another long and prosperous partnership built on big dreams and a shared vision for the venue.”
The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines Brewpub is slated to open on the corner of Cavill Ave and Surfers Paradise Boulevard by summer 2024 – we’ll update you with an exact launch date once one is announced. In the meantime, keep an eye on The Sporting Globe’s website for more information.
Hard Rock Cafe Image: Mohd Fazlin Mohd Effendy Ooi via Flickr. The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines images: from the King St Wharf venue.