And now for some good news - the Cuddle 'n' Bubble Package sign will be saved for the ages, the owners of the Capital Executive Apartment Hotel on Northbourne Avenue agreeing to place it in the collection of the Canberra Museum and Gallery.
The cuddle 'n' bubble sign will be part of CMAG's Sign of the Times exhibition, opening on November 20. Senior curator of social history Sharon Bulkeley said the exhibition would feature some of Canberra's historic and evocative signs, as a way to "dive into some of Canberra's stories".
Twitter users were recently concerned about the absence of the cuddle 'n' bubble sign, even though the hotel no longer offers the romantic getaway package.
End of an era. Goodbye, Cuddle ‘n’ Bubble sign #canberrapic.twitter.com/vK2rNP4XyI
— Stephanie Anderson (@stephanieando) April 22, 2020
Ms Bulkeley said the hotel owners had agreed to hand over the sign for the museum collection.
"It's such an icon of Canberra, and particularly the drive down Northbourne Avenue," she said.
"The owners said they had been inundated by offers for the sign, so we're very happy it's going to CMAG where the public can still enjoy it."
Other signs destined for the exhibition range from the Christis Ladies and Gents hair salon after the business closed earlier this year after 50 years in Canberra to the Starlight Drive-In Theatre sign in Watson.
Ms Bulkeley said the Starlight sign was heritage-listed so would stay in situ but ephemera associated with it, including the speakers, and prints by Trevor Dickinson would be part of the exhibition.
The national capital's response to the coronavirus pandemic would also be reflected in the exhibition.
CMAG had asked to show the hand-made "Cafe Eildon" sign put up by residents in Eildon Place in Duffy in late March. The "cafe" was a makeshift gathering of residents outside one of the houses every afternoon to ensure they stayed connected during the forced isolation, before the size of public gatherings was further tightened.
Ms Bulkeley said people often had a very emotional attachment to signs, especially those, like the Cuddle 'n' Bubble sign which had been there for so long and "was part of the landscape", so it was a shock when it was no longer there.
"The city is changing do quickly so that when things that have been there for so long are suddenly gone, it's also a bit of a wake-up call," she said.
