Queen adjusts Gloves as she enters reception Cloudland ballroom. March 09, Rock and Roll George's legend was linked to Cloudland. As James Legessner in his book Cloudland; the Queen of the Ballrooms says: "The s saw the large, talented, baby boomer generation reach an intellectual peak and Australian life took on a new look of maturity and resourcefulness. Cloudland Ballroom Brisbane just before it was demolished in November If there was ever a place to house a Queensland museum of rock and roll, it was Cloudland.
The memorial in Cowlishaw Street is hidden and painfully inadequate. But Cloudland was eventually bought by developer Peter Kurts and after several years of pouring money into its restoration, Kurts gave up and simply had Cloudland demolished in 20 minutes to build units, in the ugly, well-documented early-morning demolition by the Deen Brothers on 7 November Credit: Fairfax Media.
But in the digital world, Mr Eriksson has recreated Cloudland Ballroom's graceful interior, through his building restoration website, House Histories. His first passion was ignited by a black and white photograph of ballroom dancers at Cloudland in the s.
Set on a sprawling five acres of what was the Cowlishaw estate and neighboured by grand Victorian villas and Spanish Mission churches, Luna Park had been in the planning since the mid s, the work of global amusement park and funfair mogul T. At Luna Park's centrepiece was Eslick's pride and joy, a grand state of the art ballroom Cloudland, touted as the 'best in the southern hemisphere' with majestic 18m high parabolic entrance that could be seen for miles around, a wooden dance floor mounted on coiled springs and an open air two car funicular railway that transported visitors ft up the steep hillside to the rear entrance.
Having attracted mostly southern investors keen to be part of a replica Melbourne Luna Park advertised as the 'Most Modern Amusement Park in Australia', money was raised and a thousand pigeons released to celebrate when the first clod of turf was turned over by the Deputy Governor in March Aside from the stunning ballroom, whose architect was Brisbane Russian also creator of Bardon's iconic Fairy House , other touted and eagerly anticipated attractions included Australia's first electric racecourse, the Big Dipper and the Alpine Scenic Railway.
From the start it wasn't just the impending world war that cast a pall on the project, with construction marred by a fire in the half-built ballroom, union in-fighting, an assault on a guard with shots fired at the never-caught assailant and part of the scenic railway being destroyed by strong winds. And so it was that thirteen months after its original planned opening, T. Eslick opened the Cloudland Ballroom in a characteristic razzle dazzle affair: the twinkling lights of the arch were lit up to be seen from all around Brisbane as they would be for the next 42 years and invited couples took to the floor to the tune of Billy Romaine's orchestra.
But, under a darkening cloud of war the crowds failed to come despite Eslick pulling every trick out of the hat — vaudeville acts, dancing classes and zany ads — investors lost their money, the sideshow rides including the Big Dipper never opened and, less than six months after it opened, in January , it closed.
And with its closure came the mysterious disappearance of T H Eslick, who, before it was put up for auction in August , resigned as director and was never seen again. With Australia itself at war by December , Brisbane the frontline of the Asia Pacific operation and US troops arriving in their droves, the now semi-abandoned fairground and ballroom atop a hill was commandeered by the military along with nearby Cintra House. For three years its springy dance floor was trampled by heavy boots and occupied by army cots and desks of soldiers on a mission before it was once again left vacant at the end of the war.
After the war ended the idea of resurrecting the fun park was buried forever as Luna Park was bought by two sisters Mya Winters and Francis Roach in and renamed Cloudland Ballroom. The funicular railway was back in operation and this time the crowds, looking for romance and positivity after the war, embraced this dreamy ballroom in the sky, with its domed skylights, chandeliers, private alcoves, heavy curtains, luxury upholstered seating and the rickety open air cable car that took them up there.
Ballroom dancing championships, debutante balls and state receptions were held and couples fell in love in what quickly became Brisbane's premier entertainment centre, while Hollywood royalty Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh made a guest appearance in at the debutante's ball for the Royal Society of St George. More royalty was to follow with a reception for Princess Alexandra at Cloudland in and in later years Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip at a state reception for her silver jubilee in When not being the stuff of dreams the ballroom saw a generation of school and university students swot it out at wall to wall desks at exam time under the skydome.
In Buddy Holly performed at Cloudland on Feb 3 during his one and only Australian tour, Johnny O'Keefe took to the stage in the late s and Saturday nights local bands kept the crowds swinging.
In the early s music entrepreneur Ivan Dayman turned Cloudland into a mega live music venue, the in-place to be under the twirling mirror ball on a Saturday night with regular turns by Aussie icons such as The Blue Jays, Normie Rowe and Ronnie Burns.
In the funicular railway was replaced by a car park and by the seventies the ball dresses and hoop skirts were replaced by flairs and platform shoes. From to the popular Cloudland markets drew thousands on weekend mornings while its future as a dance and entertainment venue became a source of debate, the building having been neglected and let become rundown. In Cloudland, which was by then listed by the National Trust, closed its doors for what was to be the last time.
It had been bought by a developer who sought the redevelop the site around it for apartment blocks and despite calls for its preservation, it was shockingly demolished without warning under cover of darkness on November 7 A security guard on duty at the time, Greg Wilson recalls being approached out of the blue on his shift around 11pm and told the building was about to come down and to run in and salvage anything he wanted; shocked, he raced in and grabbed the clock above the dance floor the clock remains locked in time at a couple of minutes past eleven.
In less than an hour the whole of Cloudland, a building which contained the memories of forty-two years and three generations of Brisbane residents, was smashed to smithereens by notorious midnight wreckers the Deen Brothers in what has been likened to an act of extreme violence. On the morning of November 7 Brisbane awoke to the news that its most iconic building was no more and by 10am the roads to the top of the hill that had only recently been the well-worn route to a night of guaranteed fun ,were packed with stunned onlookers and angry protesters.
Grab a lunch-time bite, share an after-work drink, dance, find your new love, marry here, Celebrate. Thurs: pm — late Fri: pm — late Sat: pm — late Sun: am — late. For those extra special occasions. View the set menu options here. Available for dinner Thursday to Saturday. Set menu bookings are available for pre-bookings only with a minimum of 8 guests and essential for bookings of 15 or more.
Bookings can be made online here. Chef Paolo Camisotti believes great Italian dishes start with the freshest ingredients, the right techniques, a little creativity and a lot of love. Read More. Valley Hops Brewing coming to the rooftop of Cloudland. The Rose Room revealed — view our newest events and weddings space. View the all new lunch and dinner menus.
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