In 1887, German immigrant Johann Meyer operated a ferry across the
Nerang River. From
Southport, travellers would follow the Meyer's Ferry Road (now simply Ferry Road) to a spit of land that created a narrow point in the river (). The narrow spit is no longer in existence due to changes in the river and the creation of
Chevron Island but is in the vicinity of the
Gold Coast Arts Centre. From that point, Meyer's ferry would take the travellers across the river to Meyer's Ferry Road at Elston (as Surfers Paradise was then known) along which the travellers would walk to the surf beach. Businesses established along Meyer's Ferry Road at Elston which created the main street of Surfers Paradise now known as
Cavill Avenue. Although the surf beaches of Elston were a popular destination, the lack of road access limited the extent of residential and commercial development. It was not until 1925 that the
Jubilee Bridge was built between Southport and
Main Beach which opened up Surfers Paradise for tourism and associated development and eliminated the need for the ferry service. The present day Ferry Road is only southbound part of the original Ferry Road, the remainder which meandered in an easterly direction to the end of the spit and the ferry service was lost as the river was embanked and islands created. ==See also==