The Tiki statue

The Tiki statue is an impressive landmark in this popular riverside meeting place. A pattern on the back of the statue is a copy of the pattern on a Pacific Island wood carving that was found in nearby sand dunes in the early 1970s.The nearby Tiki Village Resort was built by Gold Coast entrepreneur Bernie Elsey (1906-86), renowned for his pyjama parties, held at his Beachcomber Hotels in Surfers Paradise and Coolangatta in the 1950s and 60s. Elsey held his first pyjama party in March 1957. Revellers turned up in their sleepwear but the party would inevitably end up in the hotel pool. He was also known for bringing famous acts to the Gold Coast including Johnny O’Keefe (the Australian rock and roll singer known as “The Wild One”), Marlene Dietrich and the Gibb brothers, who later went on to take the world by storm as the Bee Gees.