Coogee Palace

ABOUT US Located right on the sand of Coogee’s beautiful beachfront, the iconic Beach Palace Hotel is one of Sydneys most historic venues. With fantastic food and drink and top quality entertainment The Palace offers something for everyone. We offer a range or services and entertainment from Mothers Groups to sponsorships, two fantastic restaurants, a cocktail bar, nightclub and the best sports bar in the Eastern Suburbs. With all the latest technology, we show all the major sporting events on our Plasma TV’s and boast a 30 foot, crystal clear projected screen for all the biggies! Join us at the Beach Palace Hotel and enjoy the friendly atmosphere and the spectacular views and take advantage of the promotions and friendly culture! HISTORY The Coogee Palace was opened on 23 December 1887. The Sydney Morning Herald called it the "Most exquisite addition to Sydney's places of entertainment... a most elegant building, artistically arranged." By the 1980's it was rivalled by the Bondi and Manly pavilions, all sought to become replicas of English seaside resorts. The dome on top of the building was 55 feet in diameter and its interior was decorated in radiating blue with gold, it also had silver stars and a rising sun and moon. The Lawn had swings, whirligig's rocking horses, toy boats, aherd of 14 donkeys to ride and a Canadian toboggan ran down the hillside for 250 feet. There awere also avaries, flower beds, bandstand and an open air band. There was also an indoor swimming bath that measured 80 by 30 feet and went from 3 feet to 8 feet in depth. In 1889, a balcony or promenade designed to hold 3000 people was added. In 1935, the aquarium baths were connected with the Shark Arm Murder Case. On Anzac Day, 1935, a shark in the pool disgorged a tatooed human arm which was later identified as belonging to launch Captain James Smith, the case blew the lid off Sydney's underworld. The Aquarium began to decline and the baths were replaced with a motel. Eventually thee building housed a garage on the ground floor with flats above it. In May 1982, the Heritage Council placed a Permanent Conservation Order on the building preventing it from being demolished. In 1984 the rusted dome collapsed during a gale. In 1985, it sold for 1.62 million dollars and a five million dollar restoration was planned for completion in time for it's centenary in 1987. The building was sold again in February 1986, placing the restoration in doubt as the Heritage Council prepared a recommendation to remove Permanent Conservation Order. Plans to demolish the building and replace it with a three storey retail/entertainment outlet called the Coogee Palace was submitted to Council in April 1986 but they were rejected and a new plan to restore the facade and rebuild the dome was finally accepted in October 1986. In 1994, the site was redeveloped to include a brassiere and in 1999 it was redeveloped once again as the Beach Palace Hotel with 2 outstanding restaurants and numerous bars.