Qld’s ultimate nightclub flashback gallery: 3000+ photos
Queensland has a proud reputation for its great nightclubs - these are the best flashback photos. SEE ALL THE PHOTOS
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They have a reputation for good times and bad choices by their customers.
Nightclubs have been in the headlines in Queensland over the years over issues that range from controversial to grand openings, to booze bans and bikie brawls.
Colourful characters have often been behind the clubs - these are the stories, as told at the time, of the owners, scandals and sensations across the past 30 years.
See all the flashback galleries below >>>
1994
A new-breed Sunshine Coast nightclub owner rejected claims that clubs are the major cause of youth problems at the tourist mecca of Mooloolaba.
University academic and horse breeder Judith McKee-Eaves, owner of Illusions nightclub on the Mooloolaba strip, said she resented the use of clubs as the whipping boy for problems of drunkenness, hooliganism, vandalism and other crimes.
“There are nightclubs and nightclubs, and to lump them all together is most unjust,” she said.
As for the troublemakers, as McKee-Eaves called them?
“They are too young to get in a nightclub even if they were properly dressed and the question must be asked where did they get the booze and/or drugs and what should happen to them?”
Mrs McKee-Eaves said the real problem was the ready availability of alcohol.
■ Mega flashback gallery from popular Brisbane nightspot
December 1994
Sex, sleaze, crime and corruption have long been bedfellows in Fortitude Valley - Brisbane’s answer to Kings Cross and St Kilda.
But that reputation, built over many years, was being swept away in a sea of cappuccinos and chardonnay.
Instead the Valley was being billed as Brisbane’s answer to Oxford and Lygon streets, the fashionable inner-city precincts of Sydney and Melbourne.
The change became tangible almost three years earlier when the Brisbane City Council lifted restrictions on street dining.
Valley Business Association president Lou Bickle said no one wanted a “clinical’’ Fortitude Valley.
“The Valley has always been cosmopolitan and multicultural. We want to retain that bawdy flavour,’’ he said.
“We want to protect its character, not lose it.’’
Mega gallery: All the Toowoomba night-life photos captured in 2011
May 1999
A Cairns nightclub owner briefly considered legal action after sailors from a visiting United States warship were banned from five city nightspots.
About 400 crew on the USS Cleveland were given a list of “off limits’’ activities and venues after they docked in Cairns.
The list mentioned well-known interstate trouble spots, such as Sydney’s Kings Cross, but also warned sailors against visiting five popular Cairns nightclubs.
The ban outraged Cairns venue owners, who claimed their images were unfairly tarnished by the US Navy.
The United States embassy embassy said Cairns police was the source for information on the list.
But Cairns District Superintendent Jim O’Donnell claimed local police had nothing to do with the advisory.
Johno’s Blues Bar owner Ric Montgomery said he had sought legal advice after his club was placed on the US Navy’s list of places for visiting sailors to stay away from.
Woolshed Chargrill and Saloon Bar managing director Dominic Davies, whose venue was one of two taken off the list after initial complaints, said he was concerned for other venues barred to the visiting sailors.
December 1999
Nightclub owners petitioned the State Government and Brisbane City Council to have parts of Fortitude Valley turned into entertainment zones.
This followed rising fears increasing residential development could spell the end of the Valley’s popular live music scene.
The previous month the Liquor Licensing Commission forced The Press Club, on Brunswick St, to stop operating as a live music venue because of high noise levels.
The commission acted on complaints from residents in the Sun Apartments.
The Press Club owner Lou Bickle said he had lost $15,000 a week and had been forced to spend more than $100,000 to make the venue quieter.
He questioned whether the Sun Apartments had been adequately sound proofed.
Sun Apartments body corporate manager Jim Davies said he bought his apartment, which shares a wall with The Press Club, off the plans in 1997.
Mr Davies said at that time The Press Club was a bottle shop and redevelopment plans were for a jazz and piano bar.
He said at least eight formal complaints had been lodged with the commission.
The Zoo nightclub manager Martine Cottam was concerned the McWhirters development would have a similar effect on other venues.
■ Revealed: Gold Coast’s 10 best nightclubs of the past
April 2000
The Gold Coast’s new nightclub to the stars opened in a blaze of publicity as a swarm of popular identities danced the night away.
The Drink, a two-storey club in central Surfers Paradise, was unveiled by Manpower boss Billy Cross and wife Jackie.
VIP guests who strolled the red carpet included television hosts Kim Kilbey and Sophie Falkiner, and Australia’s favourite pizza boy “Dougie’’ Diarmid Heidenreich.
Actor Peter Mochrie and model/reporter Charlotte Miller were also spotted at the flashy joint, along with a host of Sydney socialites.
And the Manpower team flexed its muscles, much to the delight of hundreds of female club-goers.
Ms Cross said the club would show that the coast did not have to choose between being a family town or a party town - it could be both, like Las Vegas.
“It’s certainly not the stereotype of a Gold Coast nightclub,’’ she said.
“It boasts the best things from the clubs we have seen all over the world.’’
■ 25 years of Townsville nightclub social galleries
March 2003
Three Gold Coast women each week reported being drugged and raped and the true number could be much higher, authorities said at the time.
Di McLeod from the Sexual Assault Support Service said date rape drugs were prevalent, but many cases went unreported.
Ms McLeod said the Gold Coast’s nightclub strip made the region a prime target for drug rapists.
“We have been aware of drink spiking on the Coast for some time and have been collecting figures. We know these incidents tend to happen in particular kinds of venues,” she said.
Cards which can test drinks for the commonly used drugs GHB and Ketamine had recently been released in a bid to beat drink spiking.
The Drink Spike Detector originated in America and was dubbed one of Time magazine’s best inventions of 2002.
Gold Coast nightclub owner Billy Cross said it was common practice for bar staff to remove drinks which were left unattended.
“It’s not worth the risk,” he said.
September 2005
A prominent Valley nightclub owner said a 3am lockout would not be needed if the sale of cheap grog was banned during peak periods.
Lou Bickle, owner of The Family, the Bunk and Empire Hotel, claimed 15 per cent of the industry was ruining it for the rest by luring customers with cheap alcohol.
“For $20 you can end up on your back in the gutter,” Mr Bickle said.
An ACCC spokeswoman confirmed Section 51 of the Trade Practices Act allowed for the State Government to legislate against the sale of cheap alcohol during peak periods if it was “in the public interest”.
“We have to get rid of these $1 drinks,” Mr Bickle said.
“There are some hotels who give drinks away to get people in the door.
“Fifteen per cent of the industry is wrecking it for the others. Instead of trying to fix the problem after it’s started put some preventive measures in place.”
Liquor Licensing Minister Margaret Keech said the ban on advertising cheap drinks and an industry Code of Conduct for the responsible service of alcohol appeared to be reducing binge drinking and violence.
■ 600 of the wildest Gold Coast nightclub photos over the years
April 2010
Licensees were cracking down on drunken violence ahead of new laws being brought in by the end of the year.
More Fortitude Valley nightclub owners started rolling out ID scanners to make way for a problem-patron ban, with the next three to be installed at Royal George Hotel, The Bank and a revamped Rics
Owner Les Pullos said he invested about $100,000 for six ID scanners, which will link up to a nationwide database.
“If someone plays up in Perth, they won’t be able to get in here,’’ he said.
Nightclub owner Lou Bickle was also embracing a linked scanner network at his Valley venues the Family Nightclub, Birdee Num Num, Empire Hotel, Press Club and Cloudland.
Liquor Licensing Minister Peter Lawlor committed to earlier closing times, extending the glass ban, better transport options in entertainment hot spots and more police.
Jade Buddha co-owner Phil Hogan warned ID scanners would have a dire effect on the industry as many people would just stop going out.
“Any intelligent person, particularly younger, attractive women, will really have serious reservations about their picture and private details recorded on a file somewhere,’’ he said.
January 2012
A Gold Coast nightclub owner said it was time to clear the air on “sensationalised’’ reports of bikie gang violence in Surfers Paradise.
But the club owner blasted police for allowing bikies to parade through the Glitter Strip wearing gang patches.
“The police at Surfers Paradise should hang their heads in shame as they are the ones unable to control these sorts of incidents,’’ the club owner said.
“They don’t see trouble walk past the station at 2.30am on a weekend with gang members wearing full colours?
“They weren’t aware 30 (bikie gang) members spent New Year’s Eve at a booth at a Surfers Paradise nightclub?
“But when they are made aware of one incident by a security report they are quick to announce a ‘bikie war’ to the media - what a joke.’’
The United Motorcycle Council a week earlier said there was no bikie war brewing in Surfers Paradise other than a “propaganda war’’.
Speculation of bad blood between gangs came after a punch-up between members of the Bandidos and Rebels at a strip club.
June 2013
Fortitude Valley licensees predicted half the nightclubs in the area would go broke if they were forced to shut earlier.
The Valley Liquor Accord, which included more than 50 venues, launched a $60,000 safety advertising campaign entitled Your Playground - play nice, play safe.
It followed calls by the Queensland Police Union for the State Government to wind back closing times to 2am in time for the Christmas holiday season or risk more lives being lost to alcohol-fuelled violence.
Nightclub owner and Valley Chamber of Commerce chairman Lou Bickle said if closing times were changed from 5am, it could cripple some venues because most of their patrons didn’t go out until 11pm.
“You will not change the lifestyle of Gen Y,’’ he said.
“If they bring the hours back, half of those venues are going to go broke.’’
Mr Bickle said the clubs were just victims of their own popularity and other measures were more appropriate.
“We simply got to this point because this was made a precinct (and) it’s been hugely successful,’’ he said.
June 2013
A Townsville nightclub owner spoke out about the drug problem on Flinders St East.
Townsville CBD Licensee Safety Association representative Greg Pellegrini said he didn’t believe the alcopop tax would reduce anti-social behaviour in clubs, because drugs were the real problem.
Mr Pellegrini said he had anecdotal evidence from security guards that about 35 per cent of the people refused entry to clubs were affected by drugs.
“The social acceptance of drug-taking has allowed it to become the norm,’’ Mr Pellegrini said.
“I’d like to give a warning to people choosing to take drugs: Think about the price you might pay and the long-term effects.’’
Mr Pellegrini said that while nightclubs were trying to exclude drug takers, the responsibility lay with individuals and the police.
He believed another emerging social problem existed in back yard parties where inexperienced drinkers were mixing their own drinks due to the alcopop tax.
September 2014
It’s Saturday night and Trent Meade watched over thousands of customers.
He stood on the balcony of The Met nightclub VIP lounge, smiling and chatting with high-end rollers who splashed out hundreds of dollars for a booth in the exclusive bar area.
Judging by the line-up outside and the bustling crowds inside, business was good for the 31-year-old and his two business partners, Angus Cattanach and Matthew Blyth.
But they’re not the only ones reaping the windfall in Fortitude Valley at the time.
There had been a change sweeping through the area for quite some time.
It seems appropriate, then, that sitting in a busy cafe on Barry Pde, on the edge of the Valley, Meade broke the news that he and his partners planned to expand their operations.
“We’re launching a music agency and clothing apparel line,” he said.
“All of a sudden we’re going to have all these new people in the epicentre of the entertainment hub.
“You’ll have foot traffic here without having to drag people in.”
April 2017
The social scene in Mackay was feared to be drying up.
Gary Choy was managing clubs in the region for almost three decades and used to own ZeBar, Gordi’s, Envy and Mainstreet.
Then running The Palace Hotel, QBar and Birdcage Balcony Bar, at the time he said there were a few reasons for the decline in nightlife in Mackay.
“The first is that there aren’t that many people in town compared to say six years ago,” Mr Choy said, with the mining boom being the peak of the social scene.
“When I had Gordi’s, Envy and ZeBar, we’d have about 12,000-15,000 people a night through the three. Now, if clubs are getting about 300 a night they’d think it’s pretty good.”
The club manager believed Mackay’s escalating drugs problem was also contributing to clubs doing it tough.
“Drugs and ice have been more prevalent in the last five years and people would rather stay home and get on it and then come into town hammered,” Mr Choy said.
August 2017
With the floors sticky with spilled drinks, bottles of alcohol neatly lined in the fridges and disco balls hanging with cobwebs, the derelict Cocktails Nightclub was all but a fuzzy memory for many Ipswich party people.
It had been close to two years since the old managers served their last drinks and locked the doors on the iconic Brisbane St venue.
But new nightclub business owner Andre Samra in August 2017 revealed his plans for the refurbishment. Assessing the damage for the first time, Mr Samra said he had safety at the forefront of the revitalisation.
He said plans to include a cover charge and strict security measures would help keep the clientele in line.
“We’re going to try to make it safe for our patrons. Because of what we heard about the past we want the safety of the patrons,” he said.
“We heard of investigations into fights in clubs so our priority is the safety of our patrons. We want to avoid any sort of fights in the club.”
September 2017
A Townsville nightclub owner called on the State Government to review its ID scanning laws.
Mad Cow owner Mark Napier wanted the government to bring forward its review into Queensland’s ID scanning regulations, claiming one local licensed venue lost between $80,000 and $100,000 in revenue over the bar in July.
Mr Napier questioned the effectiveness of enforcing ID scanning to kerb alcohol and drug-fuelled violence, with tensions rising between patrons waiting to get inside premises in Townsville’s Safe Night Precinct.
“The experience thus far by licensed venues is that our patronage are not happy with the delay of entering the venues. Venues have experienced fights in the lines,” he said.
Mr Napier said one local venue had to quadruple the number of door staff to get waiting patrons inside quicker.
Each scanner costs $8000 and must be staffed by a registered security guard.
“(They) have increased staff costs of $3000 per week to operate the door and $1500 a month … for the ID machine.”
November 2021
It had been two years like no other for Brisbane’s night spots.
The Covid-19 pandemic with lockdowns and restrictions saw some of Brisbane’s young entrepreneurs and older family nightclub owners “burning through money” and in the process the local entertainment and dance scene changed forever.
The question that many in the industry were asking was ‘will Brisbane’s night-life ever return to “normal”?’
Patrick Donohue, who operated the 1920s Shanghai-inspired burlesque prohibition-style Cindy Chow’s Cocktail Bar, with Justin Kong’s Ling Ling’s Restaurant, and the Blvd Nightclub, preferred to say they were entering into the “new normal” zone.
“Places like Blvd Nightclub were hit hard with dance restrictions and wearing masks. It wasn’t the right type of business to operate during restrictions. So I haemorrhaged a lot of money when we were unable to trade,” he said.
In Fortitude Valley, Sub Rosa closed down citing one lockdown too many while the GPO closed a year earlier.
Cellisa Group’s Matt Blyth and Trent Mead’s Beirne Lane closed and was taken over by Hallmark Group’s Latin inspired Hey Chica!
May 2022
Since establishing Sol Bar in 2011 and Old Soul in 2014 on Ocean Street in Maroochydore, co-owners Dimi Limnatitis and Alex Johns established themselves among the most prominent late-night venue operators on the Sunshine Coast.
Their two live music venues made a name for drawing well-known local performers as well as big national artists and regularly packed-out crowds.
Mr Limnatitis ran a publishing company which worked on a number of event promotion campaigns prior to opening Sol Bar with Mr Johns who has past experience in event production and in his family’s business Cotton Tree Backpackers.
Mr Johns said while Covid forced the duo to take a more conservative approach to business they were continuing to look for new opportunities in the industry.
“Remaining current means ensuring you are promoting the most popular current acts with the most popular current food and beverage options.”
May 2023
Disgruntled residents of a party precinct were fighting to stop the opening of a new nightclub, which they said was destroying their peace and quiet.
Casablanca nightclub on the Surfers Paradise riverfront at Tiki Village was hit with a number of noise complaints before the venue had even opened.
Nearby resident Ellie McCoy described the noise coming from the 58 Cavill Ave venue as “insane” after it conducted sound testing.
“They have been testing out the sound systems on and off for a few weeks and I have lost sleep on the weekends from the bass in the mornings,” Ms McCoy said.
“I’m not anti-business. I was excited (about the opening) initially, but the sound is carrying straight into us.”
Alex Said was the director and sole shareholder of Casablanca, which previously operated out of a Broadbeach venue before its closure. He said he did not want to comment on the noise complaints.
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