The owners of landmark Southport hotel the Cecil, which a blacksmith started 124 years ago, have put the property on the market. The art deco hotel, on the Southport CBD’s most prominent corner, is owned by Surfers Paradise resident Greg Ryall and Adelaide-based Paul Smith. The hotel was bought, via company Coral Heath, for $2.4m 23 years ago and underwent a refurbishment that included creating shops and offices in the two-level building. Glenn Conridge, said the two Coral heath shareholders had opted to sell, given their ages – they are in their mid-70s.

“The hotel site is in a key part of Southport’s Priority Development Area, which allows height and density in new projects,’ he said.

Mr Conridge and Burgess Rawson’s Pete Uebergang are seeking expressions of interest in the Cecil. Those who have made it a favourite watering hole over the years include politicians, sporting stars, and the legal fraternity and among licensees have been rugby league greats John Sattler and the late Peter Gallagher.