The winds of change have ushered in fresh era to Ipswich’s night scene with two new venues opening this month and more changes in the pipeline.
Local operators say the evolution is gaining momentum for Ipswich to develop a true high street culture around the Top of Town precinct. And they’re hopeful locals won’t be shy about coming out and experiencing what’s on offer.
Night dining options such as Heisenberg Haus, Fourthchild, Pumpyard, Dovetails and Dusty’s have brought more people into the heart of town at night in recent years.
They’ve now been joined by Johnny Ringo’s country rock saloon , which attracted long queues down the street for its launch last Friday. Switch nightclub is poised to open this Friday in the old Vault nightclub site.
Mayor riding bull at Johnny Ringo’s opening
Old Metropole Hotel site now home to Johnny Ringo’s
Ross Williams at Fourthchild
Opening night at Johnny Ringo’s
Fourthchild
Fourthchild café owner Ross Williams is among the local operators happy to see new energy sweeping into the city heart.
He’s Ipswich-born and bred, and has managed his share of venues over the years, including the Racehorse Hotel in the late 80s and into the mid-90s. He can recall beach parties at Easy Street nightclub and the carpet-lined walls of Caesars Palace back in the day.
“I think Johnny Ringos and Switch is a good start – I think we probably need more bars to make this street more of an entertainment street.
“Ipswich needs an ‘eat street’ … like what they have at South Bank,” he said.
Asked what he hopes the future of Brisbane Street, Ipswich will look like he said: “Hopefully on Friday and Saturday nights we’ll have people out on the streets, maybe some alfresco dining… maybe some of the cafes might start opening at nights.
“We’ve got the Biggest Halloween Party coming up (Oct 28) which will be huge.”
Mr Williams said many locals would be surprised how many Brisbane, interstate and international visitors come to Ipswich.
Heisenberg Haus
His comments are echoed by Heisenberg Haus owner Andrew Fechner who says his restaurant on any one night can have more Brisbane folk in than Ipswich locals.
And he still gets locals coming in saying “I didn’t know you were here’’ – even after his German-themed restaurant has been open for two years.
“People are working hard to get people back to the top of town and good on Johnny Ringo’s coming to town – that’s going to be great for us,” Mr Fechner said.
“People say it all the time – ‘the more people up here the better’ but it needs to happen now and people need to get excited about it.
“We’ve got beautiful cafes, Rafter and Rose is one of the top 10 in the state for breakfast and you’ve got Heisenberg Haus with the ability to seat so many and to cater for big crowds – it’s a massive atmosphere here on a Friday and Saturday night.”
Switch
Switch owner Andre Sarma – who also own Little Beirut restaurant at Indooroopilly and The Coffee Club at Forest Lake, said he had liked Ipswich since owning a supermarket at Karana Downs some years ago.
He said in addition to general admission Switch would offer VIP booths and an upstairs “gold room” for up to 30 people with a minimum $3000 spend.
Switch opens at 9pm this Friday and visitors will see the old Vault site refitted with booths and with a striking mural by the street artist Drapl (aka Travis Vinson). Licensed for up to 500 patrons, the venue will be open initially on Friday and Saturday nights but there are plans to bring in Sunday afternoon bands and Thursday night entertainment in the weeks ahead.
Johnny Ringo’s
Johnny Ringo’s – a sibling for the Brisbane venue of the same name – includes a music bar, a mechanical bull and a beer garden and is also open Friday and Saturday nights at the old Metropole Hotel. A karaoke bar will open upstairs at the venue on October 27, followed by a “retro party bar.”
