Regatta Hotel, Heritage pub and restaurant in Brisbane City, Australia
The Regatta Hotel is a three-story brick building with wide verandahs and cast-iron details on Coronation Drive, along the Brisbane River. It holds several distinct spaces: The Boatshed restaurant, a Main Bar, a Whiskey Bar, and The Walrus Club in an underground level.
Richard Gailey designed the current brick building in 1886, replacing an earlier wooden structure built in 1874 for publican William Winterford. The shift from wood to brick matched the way construction in Brisbane was changing at the time.
In 1965, two women chained themselves to the bar rail here to protest Queensland laws that banned women from front bars. The protest led to a change in the law, and locals still connect that moment to this building.
Each area of the building has its own feel, so it is worth walking through the different spaces to find the one that suits the visit. The riverside location on Coronation Drive makes it easy to find on foot.
The ceilings in several rooms are made of pressed metal, a detail that many visitors only notice after looking up for a moment. The decorative plasterwork on the walls also dates from the original construction and can be found throughout the building.
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