For years it has been reported through the years that there was a cottage on the land that Dreamworld now sits, and that John Longhurst loved the house so much he had to have it incorporated into the park. The original cottage according to history books was called the Hollywood House, denoted by a wooden sign that hung in the house.
We would like to introduce you to John Williams. John Williams knew that cottage better than most. John was the parks resident artist who worked for Dreamworld from 1981, until the sale of the park to Bruce Jenkins. John worked on many things, from in park signage and billboards, posters and park maps, to concept artwork and scale models of future developments. The Hollywood House was setup as his studio and sat behind Main Street, where he did most of his work.
John informed us that the hand painted sign, referred to in history books as saying “Hollywood House” actually said “Holyrood”, which was in reference to a castle in Scotland, specifically the British monarchs residence in Edinborough, Scotland.
The cottage was removed to make way for Gold Rush Country, but that wasn’t the end of this building. It was later relocated next to Thunder River Rapids, refurbished and expanded to become the Prospectors Inn and eventually a Pie shop. The building later became the Big Brother Cafe.
Whilst this building is no longer in the park, it’s mystery and legacy will live on for generations to come.
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