New bar on ground level of Aurizon office tower couldn’t come at a better time
A NEW bar and cafe has opened on the ground level of a Brisbane CBD office tower. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for some of the people who work upstairs.
WHISTLE DIXIE
The decision by two Irish expats to open a bar and cafe on the ground level of Aurizon’s new office tower in Brisbane couldn’t have come at a better time.
You can bet plenty of stressed out high-flyers in the rail freight operator will be finding their way downstairs to the new Whistle Dixie, which hosts a launch party on Wednesday night for 170 or more guests.
In a playful nod to Aurizon, the venue even has some railroad tracks running along its ceiling but company executives may just want to focus on drowning their sorrows instead.
That’s because Aurizon now finds itself in a world of hurt with its major customers, including the likes of BHP and Anglo.
Plans by the coal hauling outfit to alter the maintenance schedule on its tracks mean fewer trains will be reaching port.
As a result, the big miners are howling in protest that they won’t be able move about 20 million tonnes of coal valued at around $4 billion.
The dust up has even prompted the mining giants to talk about doing business with rival operators.
FOUR YEAR SEARCH
The dispute continues to play out a month after the official ribbon cutting for Aurizon’s new $170 million headquarters, a 15-story full-leased office building at 900 Ann St in the Valley.
Hospitality partners Gerry Moley and Mick McLoughlin have just tipped about $1 million in their Whistle Dixie venture after a four-year-long search to find the right spot.
Moley, who formerly worked for Leighton Contractors, brings plenty of industry experience to the game, having operated the Foxy Bean cafe at Woolloongabba for the past eight years.
He followed that up with Holy Moly Espresso, which opened five years ago in Spring Hill.
McLoughlin, who also has a construction and hospitality background, took an equity stake in the Foxy Bean in 2013.
Now the business partners are pumped up to launch their first joint venture, which spills out from the building lobby into a laneway alongside the Heritage-listed Holy Trinity Anglican Church.
“It had a good feeling about it,’’ McLoughlin told City Beat yesterday.
“We got a vibe and had a look at it. The area’s nice and it’s close to James Street. There’s a lot of history and we see a lot of future growth here.’’
Moley agrees, noting that the space “just felt right’’ and will appeal to plenty of the auto dealers, engineers and other big corporates that populate the area.
There’s an added bonus for McLoughlin too. His son Ben is working as venue manager after cutting his teeth for seven years at Jade Buddha and the Emporium Hotel.
“We’re trying to build something for our kids so Gerry and I can retire happily in the future,’’ he quipped.
Before then, McLouglin and Moley will be hosting plenty of sporting identities at tonight’s bash.
Among those on the guest list are Gordon Tallis, Sam Thaiday, Corey Parker, Corey Oates, Matt Gillett and Ian Healy.
The pair are also looking ahead to their next venture, a bar and restaurant in the planned new Yeerongpilly Green urban village.
It’s no coincidence that Don Rorke’s Consolidated Properties, which built the Aurizon tower, is also developing the $850 million mixed-use project.
