QHA_February_Mag_Web
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INSIGHTS<br />
SURREPTITIOUS CELEBRATION<br />
<strong>QHA</strong> REVIEW | 26<br />
Although it came and went in a haze of draconian<br />
government legislation, the American prohibition era<br />
of the 1920s left an indelible mark on society, bringing<br />
concepts such as bootlegging, speakeasies and the<br />
mafia to the forefront of popular culture. Arguably,<br />
what the mafia did for cinema, speakeasies did for<br />
bar culture. Those dim dens of illicit alcohol sale<br />
and consumption have provided the inspiration for<br />
a particular flavour of retro bar down the years, the<br />
closest to home now being Brisbane’s Walrus Club.<br />
Fittingly located below street-level (word has it beneath<br />
the Regatta Hotel in Toowong) and accessible via two<br />
inconspicuous stairway entry points, the Walrus Club’s<br />
commitment to authenticity earned it last year’s <strong>QHA</strong><br />
Award for Excellence for Best Themed Bar.<br />
Everything about the way the bar is marketed is<br />
offered with an air of secrecy and cultural nods to<br />
the roaring 20s. Using not-so-1920s communication<br />
channels such as social media and web content,<br />
the Walrus Club spreads the word about “stealthily
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