Plastic crocodiles and bush hats with dangling corks are a thing of the past at a bar and restaurant where customers are living the Australian dream - at one of the UK's top holiday resorts.

Gold Coast cool blends with sundown surfer images at the Walkabout in Blackpool following the refurbishment of the Queen Street venue, which has been transformed into a surfers' paradise. And the proof of its success is in the sales figures - takings have soared.

The Walkabout has been imaginatively refurbished in a scheme led by Gordon Thompson, of Birmingham-based architectural interior designers Monteith Scott PLAY, and his experienced team. The bar area now resembles a breaking wave and the Antipodean theme is enhanced with clever use of the Australian flag, exposed timber and lifestyle artwork.

Gordon said: "Our brief from iNTERTAIN was to make Walkabout much more contemporary and more relevant to the current market, and also to create an environment that would increase the potential to improve food sales. The new menu includes the improved and ever-popular Australian options such as kangaroo and ostrich burgers.

"We didn't spend lots of money but we took a very good look at what the clientele was all about. That included looking at the history of the bar and considering where it lost its way."

He added: "The clientele has completely changed over the years. They're not into Crocodile Dundee any more. They see Australia as a really exciting, cosmopolitan country that they want to visit. They think it's sunny all the time and they see it possibly as a place they want to live and we've tried to capture all that's great about Australia at the Walkabout."

The bar is now better equipped to profit from the huge numbers of holidaymakers and visitors drawn to Blackpool to celebrate stag and hen parties, birthdays and anniversaries, providing year-round business opportunities.

Operating 49 bars, restaurants and comedy venues, iNTERTAIN is one of the leading hospitality companies on the high street. Whether it is watching a big game in an awesome atmosphere at Walkabout, savouring the flavours from the deep south at Old Orleans or visiting Highlight for an evening of laughter and entertainment, the company aims to provide an experience that constantly entertains and surpasses expectations, creating customers who feel compelled to visit again.

Mike Dowell, strategy and business development director at iNTERTAIN, said: "Monteith Scott have been helping us develop our brand equity for two parts of our business - Old Orleans Restaurants and Walkabout Bars. In both cases they have helped us create and deliver greater personality and depth to these brands against a very specific brief. Rather than simply interpreting through design, Monteith Scott have added value during the creative process to help us create more compelling propositions which has laid the foundation for future developments."

Birmingham-based Monteith Scott PLAY has completed many projects for some of the UK's leading retail and leisure brands.