History
The illuminating history of neon lights in Queensland
Ahead of a new exhibition at State Library of Queensland celebrating the history of neon in the Sunshine State, CHRIS CURRIE looks at how the illuminated craft of gas and glass became a symbol of our built heritage.
From the first flicker of department store advertising to the glitzy lights of the Gold Coast’s ‘glitter strip’, from your favourite regional restaurant to Stefan’s signature rainbow, neon lights have left an ephemeral, yet indelible glow in the memories of many Queenslanders.
The spread of neon light here was unstoppable once lighting company Claude Neon opened for business in Australia in 1920.
In December 1929, Brisbane department store Hixco announced a vertical neon that could be seen “a distance of twenty-five miles from Brisbane” (just in time for Christmas). By 1932, The Telegraph newspaper boasted its own sign “in ready recognition of this new and novel method of burning a message deep in the public mind”.
Many businesses soon sported a neon sign, signalling the ideals of modernity, optimism and energy already associated with neon globally.
Over the next few decades, neon signs became much more than advertising landmarks – they were cultural icons.
The XXXX sign, erected above Castlemaine Perkins’ Milton brewery, has been part of Queensland’s identity since it appeared in 1959.
By the late 1960s, however, neon’s use was in steep decline.
The discovery and introduction of cheaper and safer materials altered the way illuminated advertising signs were made.
Neon became associated with pawn shops, tattoo parlours and adult bookshops.
Its popularity flickered back to life in the 1980s. Neon lit up Queensland music venues, nightclubs and bars and could be found once again advertising motels and restaurants, such as Jo-Jo’s in the Queen Street Mall, Paddington’s Kookaburra Cafe and Fortitude Valley’s redeveloped Chinatown Mall.
Its joyous and vibrant colours were also used liberally throughout World Expo 88 in Brisbane. Kilometres of blue neon lit the monorail used to transport 15 million visitors around the South Brisbane site.
Neon featured in an enormous public artwork designed by Ken Cato forming a ‘ceiling of light’ underneath the giant sun sails in the expo’s Times Square precinct. It was reputedly the largest neon structure ever built at the time.
The recession-hit 1990s, coupled with the rise of LED technology in the 2000s, were all but a death-knell for neon.
For many collectors and enthusiasts, however, the romance of light, gas and glass will never die, nor will their appreciation for the craft and skill of the few remaining ‘glass benders’.
‘Neon’, opening on December 6 this year and running until February 9 next year at State Library of Queensland, features more than 20 original neon signs from Brisbane institutions, including Stefan, Jo-Jo’s, The Kookaburra Cafe and Spring Hill Motel, alongside photographs and original footage of Queensland’s neon history and the artisans who made it happen.
Find out more at slq.qld.gov.au/neon
