Join FunTrivia for Free: Hourly trivia games, quizzes, community, and more!
Fun Trivia
Ask FunTrivia: Questions and Answers
Answers to 100,000 Fascinating Questions
Welcome to FunTrivia's Question & Answer forum!

Search All Questions


Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources. Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims.

Archived Questions

Goto Qn #


What Queensland vacation spot used to be called Umbigumdi (Umbi-Gumbi)?

Question #29532. Asked by Gerlinda Groenewold.
Last updated Apr 10 2023.

sequoianoir
Answer has 3 votes
Currently Best Answer
sequoianoir
21 year member
2091 replies

Answer has 3 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
Any chance you mean UmbigumBi? (Actually Umbi-Gumbi)
If you do then I think it is Surfers Paradise.

People looking at the high-rise buildings of Surfers Paradise today might not be surprised to learn that its original name meant, the place of the ant. (Umbi-gumbi in the Aboriginal language.) J.H.C.Meyer acquired land there in 1876 and established a sugar plantation and crushing mill near the Nerang River and ran a ferry over the river. In 1888 he built a hotel at what was then called Elston. That name was the maiden name of the postmaster's wife at Southport, bequeathed to the area when it needed a distinct postal address.

Growth came when the Jubilee Bridge was built across the Nerang River in 1925 and James Cavill, owner of two hotels and a sports store in Brisbane, built a hotel there to cater for fishermen. Prior to that there were only a few isolated shacks and a post office. He found that the beaches drew more people than the fish, so in 1933 he re-named his hotel The Surfers' Paradise and persuaded the authorities to make the same name change for the area. The hotel was burnt down a few years later, but rebuilt as a luxury hotel with a zoo and tropical garden

ucaqld.com.au/~piula/Placenames/page61.html no longer exists


Response last updated by gtho4 on Apr 10 2023.
Mar 11 2003, 1:13 PM
free email trivia FREE! Get a new mixed Fun Trivia quiz each day in your email. It's a fun way to start your day!


arrow Your Email Address:

Sign in or Create Free User ID to participate in the discussion