Toowoomba venue Bar Wunder goes out of business weeks before vaccine mandates lifted

A Toowoomba venue that was forced to shut for allegedly failing to comply with vaccine rules has announced they will not reopen their doors, weeks out from the state government relaxing the mandate.

A Toowoomba venue that was forced to close for allegedly failing to comply with state government Covid-19 public health orders has taken to social media to announce they will not be reopening their doors.

The announcement came just days before Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk confirmed the very vaccination mandate they were protesting against was set to be lifted in most venues across the state, including pubs, clubs, cafes, restaurants.

In a post on Instagram the owners of Bar Wunder announced “bulls---” vaccination requirements meant the venue would be going out of business.

People protest outside Bar Wunder after the bar was shut down over failing to comply with the public health direction, Friday, December 24, 2021. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We could never be complicit in something so repulsive and we’ve paid the ultimate price,” the post read.

“We would do it all over again, because businesses come and go, but a moral compass and alignment with what we believe in; worth every loss.”

However, today the state government announced that from 1am Thursday on April 14 most venues that have been open to only to vaccinated people, will be open to all including pubs, clubs, cafes, restaurants, theme parks, cinemas, weddings, showgrounds, libraries and stadiums

The contentious bar made headlines in December last year after it was fined more than $6000 for allegedly failing to comply with restrictions the state government had introduced which had limited unvaccinated residents from entering hospitality and entertainment venues, with staff members at these venues required to ask all patrons aged 16 or older for proof of vaccination and to check in through the Check in Qld app.

Bar Wunder owners Fiona Davis and Mark McElligott.

The beleaguered venue became a darling of the anti-Covid mandate movement, with impromptu protests taking place out the front on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

In January, owners Mark Kenneth McElligott and Fiona Davis were both charged with failure to comply with a Covid-19 direction over their alleged failure to comply with public health orders.

Supporters of Bar Wunder outside Toowoomba Courthouse, Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

The pair have vowed to continue to fight against the charges in Toowoomba Magistrates Court.

“We still have pending court cases because this wasn’t just about our bar, so we’re still fighting this s--- all the way and will continue to do so,” the post stated.

“We’re fighting for your f---ing freedoms too, so research the bigger picture here!”

The post repeated debunked claims that Covid-19 vaccines have claimed more lives than the virus, and spouted conspiracy theories that the pandemic is part of a global agenda of world domination.

While the bar owners have previously claimed government public health orders were part of a plot of “complete control headed towards tyranny”, public records revealed that Bar Wunder received $30,800 from the state government as part of their Live Music Support Program in September 2021, and $35,110.90 from the federal government’s Live Music Australia grant program in October 2021 to “upgrade sound and lighting systems to cater for increased audiences and to provide improved sound facilities for live performances”.