QHA_March 2018_Electronic_s

q u e e n s l a n d h o T E L S a s s o c i a t i o n 

M A R C h 2 0 1 8 e d i t i o n 

true north 

WONDERFUL WEIPA AND THE 

ALBATROSS BAY RESORT 

INSIGHTS: 

HOPE ISLAND TAVERN 

MENA CREEK HOTEL 

COMPASS: 

RAVENSWOOD, A MINING 

TOWN TO THE CORE 

PROFILE: 

DARREN DICKFOS ARCHITECTS - 

AS THE CROW FLIES

Bernie Hogan with Nerida Foo of The Gateway Hotel 

BEYOND THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES 

I AM REMINDED QUEENSLAND 

IS AN ENORMOUS PLACE AND 

OUR MEMBERSHIP IS FAR AND 

WIDE. THAT IS WHY WE ARE 

TAKING OUR SHOW ON THE 

ROAD THIS MONTH. 

Don’t be mistaken, I like many of you will be wholeheartedly embracing 

all that the Gold Coast has to offer in April. We have invited the world to 

our state, and members of the QHA will be working overtime to ensure all 

the tourists, competitors and officials fall in love with Queensland. Despite 

a missed opportunity from the State Government, our Broadbeach and 

Surfers Paradise members will enjoy some extra trading hours which should 

be approved by Parliament in March. We wish these members all the very 

best of results! 

However, I am reminded Queensland is an enormous place and our 

membership is far and wide. That is why we are taking our show on the 

road this month. I will be with some of our team in the far north visiting 

Cairns, Mareeba, Mossman and Port Douglas, listening to the challenges 

members face in these regions and delivering employment relations advice 

and accommodation updates. 

Townsville and the Burdekin get a visit as well, as we deliver the very first 

Pubs, Pots and Profits seminar in association with CUB this month. Another 

fantastic opportunity for our members to get the very best out of the QHA. 

Our western members are not forgotten with the first ever training program 

delivered in Cunnamulla! 

I tell you this for one reason – we love to hear from all of you. Without your 

knowledge, we will never know what is best for your region. Take advantage 

of any member of the QHA when they visit, for any topic, so we can help 

improve your business. 

BERNIE HOGAN 

QHA CHIEF EXECUTIVE/EDITOR 

QHA REVIEW | 3

3 EDITOR’S LETTER 

M A R C H 2 0 1 8 e d i t i o n 

QHA 

Level 14, 270 Adelaide Street 

Brisbane, Queensland 4000 

GPO Box 343 

Brisbane, Queensland 4001 

Phone: 07 3221 6999 

1800 177 594 

Fax: 07 3221 6649 

Web: www.qha.org.au 

Email: info@qha.org.au 

Office Hours 

8.30am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday 

President 

Mr Tom McGuire 

Senior Vice President 

Mr Richard Deery 

Vice Presidents 

Mr Scott Armstrong 

Mr John Douglas 

Mr Brad Fitzgibbons 

Secretary/Treasurer 

Mr Tony Condon 

Trustees 

Mr Will Cordwell 

Mr Peter Britain 

Chief Executive and Editor 

Mr Bernie Hogan 

www.qha.org.au 

5 CONTRIBUTORS 

6 NEWS 

16 LATEST & GREATEST 

18 FEATURE: 

ALBATROSS BAY RESORT, WEIPA 

34 PROFILE: 

DRIVEN BY DESIGN - DARREN DICKFOS 

40 INSIGHTS: 

HOPE ISLAND TAVERN 

MENA CREEK HOTEL 

48 COMPASS: 

RAVENSWOOD - GOLD AND ITS GHOSTS 

54 ACCOMMODATION 

58 TOP DROP 

62 TRADE DIRECTORY 

64 PARTNERS & CORPORATE MEMBERS 

QHA REVIEW | 4 

QHA REVIEW is published by the Queensland 

Hotels Association ABN 54 878 166 941. 

All information is correct at time of going to press. 

The publishers cannot accept responsibility for 

errors in articles or advertisements, or unsolicited 

manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. 

The opinions and words of the authors do not 

necessarily represent those of the publisher. All 

rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole is 

strictly prohibited without prior permission. 

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING 

For all editorial and advertising queries 

qhareview@qha.org.au

DAMIAN STEELE 

QHA Industry 

Engagement 

Manager 

A hospitality industry 

professional with over 

30 years’ experience 

in liquor, gaming and 

operations. Damian 

has a strong focus 

on compliance and 

legislation. 

ROSS TIMS 

QHA Training and 

Safety Manager 

Ross manages the 

development and 

delivery of industry 

related training courses 

and the provision of 

workplace health and 

safety services to 

QHA member hotels 

and other hospitality 

venues. 

PAUL ST JOHN-WOOD 

Membership Officer 

Paul is the face of the 

Association to many 

QHA members as he 

travels the length and 

breadth of the state 

visiting, advising and 

assisting publicans. 

JUDY HILL 

QHA Accommodation 

Division Manager 

As a professional 

advocate for the 

accommodation sector 

of the hotel industry, 

Judy advises and 

represents members 

on matters including 

tourism legislation, 

marketing strategy, 

risk management and 

airline regulation. 

SARAH TILBY 

QHA Employment 

Relations Advisor 

Sarah previously 

worked for national 

employer associations 

in the housing and 

health care industries. 

She also worked for the 

Queensland Industrial 

Relations Commission 

in their award 

modernisation team. 

THE HON YVETTE D’ATH 

Attorney-General and 

Minister for Justice 

and Minister for 

Training and Skills 

Yvette D’Ath is a 

Labor member of the 

Legislative Assembly 

of Queensland 

representing the seat of 

Redcliffe. 

MIKE SARQUIS 

Executive Director of 

Liquor and Gaming 

Regulation 

Mike’s responsibilities 

include managing the 

gaming and liquor 

regulatory licensing and 

compliance regimes, 

and implementing the 

responsible gambling 

strategy and harm 

minimisation programs. 

NICK BAINBRIGGE 

State Manager (Qld) 

Aristocrat 

Nick has a proven 

history in wholesale 

liquor, electronic 

gaming, and hotel and 

restaurant operation. 

He now heads up the 

state team for one 

of Australia’s leading 

manufacturers of 

gaming machines. 

CURT SCHATZ 

Managing Partner, 

Mullins Lawyers 

With over 30 years’ 

experience in property, 

liquor and gaming law, 

Curt is recognised 

as a leader in this 

field. He advises 

pub, club, nightclub, 

restaurant, resort and 

accommodation venue 

owners and operators. 

BRENDAN O’FARRELL 

Chief Executive 

Officer, Intrust Super 

Brendan is responsible 

for overall management 

of the fund and 

providing advice to the 

board of directors. He 

passionately believes 

education is critical in 

super due to the everchanging 

nature of the 

industry. 

JOHN ROZENTALS 

Wine Writer 

John Rozentals is a 

freelance writer who 

has penned travel, food 

and wine articles for 

a range of Australian 

newspapers and 

websites including our 

very own QHA Review. 


NEWS 

BETTING IN CASH 

JUST GOT EASIER 


Is there any worse feeling as a punter than missing 

the jump on a $10 pop because you were trekking 

between tables looking for a pencil to fill out a betting 

ticket? 

Thanks to UBET’s revolutionary digital innovation, 

TAPPY, instore customers can now build bets via 

their mobile phone and place them in cash using a 

digital barcode at the counter or self-service terminal; 

completely removing the need to fill out a betting 

ticket. 

Following positive feedback from punters during 

a recent trial, the product will now be available 

permanently across UBET venues in Queensland. 

UBET Head of Customer Experience Brad Tamer said 

the new product was the easiest way for customers 

to bet in cash and predicted the uptake to be strong 

across all jurisdictions. 

“This gives our customers a choice between 

betting in the traditional way with a ticket or a more 

contemporary process akin to betting digitally,” 

Mr Tamer said. 

“For those who choose TAPPY, gone will be the 

frustrations of wet tickets, pencil droughts and endless 

searches for proposition numbers, only to be replaced 

with a quicker, easier process to bet in cash. 

“TAPPY makes the retail betting process much easier 

for customers, particularly when placing exotics, multis 

and live bets, which previously meant filling out a multifaceted 

ticket. 

“THAT BEING SAID, CUSTOMERS WHO WANT TO BET 

IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY WILL STILL BE ABLE TO 

FILL OUT TICKETS AND PLACE THEIR BETS AS THEY 

ALWAYS HAVE.” 

“A lot of our customers still like to bet in cash and 

this technology allows them to do that using the 

convenience of their digital device. It is a marked step 

away from the tickets customers have been using for 

more than 50 years. 

“That being said, customers who want to bet in the 

traditional way will still be able to fill out tickets and 

place their bets as they always have.” 

Another boost for UBET’s instore customers is the 

access they’ll now have to promotional offers such as 

money back and inflated price specials. 

“Previously these were only available for digital 

customers, but thanks to TAPPY we can now offer 

instore customers the equivalent, which is really 

exciting with the NRL and AFL seasons and an actionpacked 

Autumn Racing calendar just around the 

corner,” he said. 

“Furthermore, customers don’t need a UBET account 

to use TAPPY, they simply need the app, so anyone 

with a mobile device is able to take advantage of the 

functionality and promotions.”

NEWS 

AYR PUB PATRON 

LEAVES A FARMER 

AND RETURNS A 

MILLIONAIRE 

A North Queensland cane farmer is getting ready to 

buy more than just a tinnie after winning a $2.9 million 

Keno jackpot at the Burdekin Hotel. 

It was like any other afternoon at the Burdekin Hotel 

on Saturday, 17 February. A few regulars were in, 

sharing a drink and stories of their working week while 

escaping the smothering heat. 

It was around 1:30pm when hotel duty manager Mark 

Strong looked up from clearing some glasses to see 

the Keno display screen light up – $2,911,248 had 

been won there! 

Some time went by and, despite the excitement, noone 

in the busy venue went up to claim it. 

Strong says he immediately had a hunch who the 

winner was and phoned several names in the local 

phone book before finding the 35 year-old cane farmer 

at his family property. He told him what he suspected, 

urging him to “come back to town and check your 

ticket”. 

“I’m still shaking a bit,” the winner said moments 

after Mark’s hunch proved right – all 10 of his Keno 

numbers had indeed come up. He’d left a farmer and 

walked back in as a millionaire. 

“I didn’t know what to think when Mark rang me. I just 

occasionally come in and have a couple of drinks and 

put a Keno ticket on,” he said. 

The jackpot is the second to be won at a North 

Queensland hotel this year. The first was a $1.5 million 

cash prize, won by two Cairns mates having a lunch 

catch-up at the Balaclava Hotel on Sunday, 7 January. 

Keno’s newest Queensland hotel winner explained he 

normally would have thrown out the ticket that won 

him the whopping 10-number jackpot, but for some 

reason decided to replay the same numbers. 

“This one, I played for a couple of times. Normally, if it 

[the ticket] doesn’t come up with anything I get rid of 

the ticket and pick new numbers. If they come up with 

something, I keep playing them. 

“This one didn’t come up with anything but I thought 

‘what the heck, I’ll just put it back on’ because I 

usually put one on just before I leave. 

“Thank goodness I did!” 

The winner plans to use some of his hefty cash prize to 

help the family farm and his big brother, but also hopes 

to buy a new car and a boat, and travel overseas. 

“I definitely reckon there’ll be a ute involved, and I’m 

pretty sure I can get myself more than just a tinnie,” 

he joked. 

The win is the fifth $1 million-plus Keno jackpot to 

be won by Queenslanders since December last year, 

which was Keno’s 20th anniversary in Queensland – 

marking two decades since the game was first offered 

in the state back in 1997. 

Keno’s Queensland State Manager, David Dicker, says 

the team are rapt another hotel has been involved in 

making Keno’s second millionaire for 2018. 

“We’re looking forward to celebrating this massive 

jackpot with the Burdekin Hotel and QHA in March,” 

Dicker said. 

Burdekin Hotel manager Mark Strong 

“had a hunch who the winner was” when 

the venue’s Keno display lit up with a jackpot. 


NEWS 

BEER SPA 


It’s hard to fathom when you look through the list 

of Nobel Prize laureates by country that the Czech 

Republic has only five. In terms of services to mankind, 

surely the inventor of this concept has to be right up 

there. Behold, this is a beer spa in Prague. 

Here visitors to this special spa can “experience a 

classic Czech treatment based on the exclusive use 

of natural ingredients, materials and old medical 

procedures.” 

On your visit you can: 

• try 2 rooms - the Beer Spa and Spa Beer 

Land® with hop sauna 

• relax in original, handmade, oak tubs 

• draw and drink an unlimited amount of light and 

dark Krušovice beer 

• try the unique hop sauna 

• rest in a genuine wheat straw bed 

• enjoy fresh home-made beer bread 

Yep, you are reading correctly, you get to bathe in 

hand-made, thousand-litre, whirlpool royal oak tubs 

filled with the natural extracts used to brew Czech 

beer. 

Apparently the high hop oil content contributes to the 

“overall vitality and helps open pores on the skin. The 

high dose of vitamin B and active enzymes in brewer’s 

yeast have a salutary effect on skin regeneration. 

This unique combination of natural ingredients and 

the magical effect of royal oak, for ages a symbol of 

longevity and immunity, stimulate metabolism, help 

remove harmful substances from the body and ease 

fatigue and stress, thus resulting in ideal mental and 

physical relaxation. 

Ohh stop it! They had us with the unlimited amount of 

Czech beer. 

www.beerspa.com

NEWS 

NO CHICKEN PARMAS HERE 

The first vegan pub in London has recently opened its 

doors. It may sound like heresy to some but not Meriel 

Armitage and Luke McLaughlin who are continuing 

London’s vegan revolution with their unassuming East 

End hotel in Homerton. The Spread Eagle will be the 

first 100 per cent vegan pub in the city. It follows on 

from Armitage’s cult vegan taco joint Club Mexicana, 

which is already a street food favourite across the 

capital. 

Says Armitage, “Being a vegan is not just about food. 

It’s what you’re drinking, what you’re sitting on, what 

you’re wearing.” Indeed, all of The Spread Eagle’s 

food, drinks, fixtures and fittings are plant-based 

and sourced sustainably where possible.Armitage 

also firmly believes a vegan diet is anything but drab. 

“Just because food’s ethical doesn’t mean it can’t be 

naughty,” she says. 

The Spread Eagle serves pub favourites with a twist: 

“scallops” made from king oyster mushrooms poached 

in garlic oil; vegan chorizo; “cheez” (non-dairy cheese 

made from soya and coconut oil to mimic fried cheese) 

drizzled over nachos; and even beer-battered “tofish”. 

There is even vegan beer. Apparently, gelatine or 

isinglass (made from fish swim bladders) is used by 

some brewers in the clarification process. 

“We’ve got something on the menu that looks like the 

best Mexican fried chicken burger ever. It tastes like it 

too. You blow people’s minds when they find out it’s 

vegan” says Armitage. 

There is no denying the traditional pub scene has 

been turned on its head over the past decade and the 

launch of this new pub is further evidence of this. The 

rise of gastro pubs, craft beer, craft spirits and even 

the manner in which pubs are being renovated and the 

quality of the fitout is testament to the transformation 

of the humble pub being simply a watering hole for 

local tradies to down a few pots of amber nectar. 

With respect to the Vegan movement, Armitage also 

has some advice in changing public perceptions. 

“Veganism needs to stop taking itself so seriously if 

it’s to win the rest of the world over. That’s the point 

of the pub. We’re not a gastropub. We’ll have DJs, art 

club, quiz nights, and parties until late on Friday and 

Saturday.” 


NEWS 

THE SEARCH FOR AUSTALIA’S BEST PUB TOWN 

A nation-wide online survey claims it’s found the 

best pub town in Australia. 

Accommodation website Wotif recently asked 

travellers to vote for their “Top Six Uniquely 

Australian Towns” in six different categories 

including top pub town, top wine town, top 

adventure town and top town to see a kangaroo. 

While we can’t verify how scientific the January 

poll was, travellers nevertheless voted Ballarat 

as the best place to visit a local establishment 

and order a pot or a schooner to wash down a 

classic-Aussie bistro meal. 

For the record, Queensland’s own Goondiwindi 

and Rockhampton made the top 10, finishing 

equal sixth. 

The Sunshine State fared better as a place of 

adventure with Cairns voted Top Adventure Town 

and Port Douglas not far behind in fourth place. 

Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, SA is the top town 

to see a kangaroo, apparently. 


PUBS SAVING LIVES 

A network of pubs in Gloucester, England have pledged 

to save lives by signing up to get defibrillators. 

This follows a recent incident at the city’s Butlers 

Venue Bar where staff helped save a woman who had 

collapsed in a nearby street. 

Quick-thinking doorstaff used a defibrillator machine 

to perform CPR on her until an ambulance arrived and 

took her to hospital where she later recovered. The 

woman even called the pub the next day to thank them. 

Now, a host of community-minded pubs in the city have 

signed up to the Public Hearts Scheme which aims to 

save more lives of people who have heart attacks or 

cardiac arrests in the city. 

The scheme, set up by Gloucestershire PC Matt 

Hammond, is helping every venue in the county to 

fundraise for their own defibrillator.

NEWS 

Osbourne Hotel, Fortitude Valley 

07 3252 8899 

info@brandandslater.com.au 

www.brandandslater.com.au 

NEW SUBARU 

OUT AND ABOUT 

- CALENDAR APRIL 2018 - 

Look out for the QHA’s new, and distinctly red, Subaru 

Levorg as we go out and about catching up with 

members at their venues across central and southeast 

Queensland. 

QHA Chief Executive Bernie Hogan (right) was keen 

to be given the keys from Margot Knowles (left) of A.P 

Eagers Fleet and James Simpson of City Automotive 

Group who continue to provide excellent deals on 

a superb range of vehicles for the QHA and our 

members. 

R M LV * 

GAMING NOMINEE* 

Toowoomba 4 April Toowoomba 5 April 

Mt Isa 

5 April 

DEVELOPING HOTEL 

MANAGEMENT SKILLS*** 

Brisbane 12 April Brisbane 9-10 April 

Gold Coast 18 April COOKING THE BOOKS**** 

Brisbane 24 April Brisbane 23 April 

Member 

Price 

*$395 **$495 ***$495 ****$295 

Book courses @ www.qhashop.org.au or 

training@qha.org.au or phone 07 3221 6999

NEWS 

THE AWARDS CONTINUE 


Since starting in March 2016, Balter Brewery on 

the Gold Coast has won a bunch of awards for 

their beer and operation. Last year they took out 

Best International Pale Ale at the AIBA (Australian 

Independent Brewery Association) Awards as well as 

Champion Medium Size Brewery and Best Newcomer 

(rookie of the year). 

Well, they can add to that list of awards their XPA 

taking out the #1 slot in the GABs Hottest 100. So, 

what are the GABs you might say? Created in 2011 by 

Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone, the guys behind 

The Local Taphouse beer temples and Stomping 

Ground Brewery & Beer Hall in Collingwood, the event 

was originally known as the Great Australian Beer 

SpecTAPular. It was designed as a celebration of craft 

beer diversity and creativity. 

Fast forward a few years and it has become a whole 

lot more than that. The event now showcases the 

best Australian and New Zealand craft breweries 

and cider producers. Up to 180 ‘Festival Beers 

and Ciders’ are made just for the event. Along with 

that there is entertainment, outstanding local food 

vendors, interactive exhibitor stalls, and food and drink 

education. Renowned American magazine, wThe Beer 

Connoisseur, in fact listed the GABS as one of the top 

20 beer festivals in the world in 2015. 

Each December, GABS also runs the influential Hottest 

100 Craft Beers of the Year poll which sees thousands 

of beer fans from all over Australia and New Zealand 

vote for their favourite beers of the year. The results 

are counted and celebrated across the country each 

Australia Day (for the Aussie poll) and Waitangi Day (for 

the Kiwi poll). 

For Balter, not only did they take out #1 spot for their 

XPA, every single one of their canned beers made it 

into the top 100. All of that speaks to a consistency 

that head brewer Scott Hargrave and his team of 

brewers work towards day-in day-out and signals the 

emergence of this increasingly popular brand of beer.

NEWS 

KEEN TO BE FEATURED IN 


m a g a z i n e 


a p r i l 2 0 1 7 e d i t i o n 

AND MORE INSTORE 

Hitting selected stores this month is Balter’s latest 

Limited Release IIPA. 

This Imperial IPA is described as, “a tangy fruit salad 

with extra punch. Clean, hefty hop notes provide 

substantial palate weight with hints of pineapple, pine 

and citrus, while the higher alcohol content delivers 

a delightfully dry, spicy finish. In a tall tin so you can 

share it with a mate celebrating a royal achievement, or 

simply soaking up the last shadows of a classic day.” 

We can’t wait to try one. 

BOWEN 

THERAPY 

ALL FOR ONE: 

PAYNTER DIXON'S ONE-STOP-SHOP 

TURNKEY CLIENT SOLUTIONS 

RESERVED SEATING: 

THE NEW INCHCOLM HOTEL'S 

RESTAURANT PROVES POPULAR 

THE RESILIENT CHARM 

OF THE GRAND VIEW 

HOTEL IN BOWEN 

DALBY DELIGHTS: 

AN INSIGHT INTO THE RURAL HUB 

OF THE DARLING DOWNS 

QHA_April_Cover.indd 1 7/04/2017 7:24 PM 

Ask for our 

2 0 1 8 m e d i a G U I D E 

Detailing our planned editorial showcases for the year ahead. 

All queries, be it in relation to editorial, advertising, 

production or distribution can be directed to 

qhareview@qha.org.au

NEWS 

SEXIST NAMES 

ON THE OUTER 

Times are a changing in the UK. In the wake of the 

#MeToo movement and the backlash against sexual 

harassment and abuse, efforts are being made to 

outlaw sexist marketing. Inappropriate beer names and 

images of scantily clad women may soon disappear 

from Britain’s beer fonts, cans and bottles. 

Nottingham-based Castle Rock has brewed a beer 

in honour of World War Two pin-up Elsie Mo since 

1998 and it is one of the company’s top selling ales. 

However, it has now ditched sexy pin-up girls inspired 

by historical images of US aircraft nose art in favour of 

a more politically-correct design, which pays homage 

to the Second World War’s female pilots. 

Other beers that have come under scrutiny are 

Robinsons’ Dizzy Blonde, Fordham & Dominion 

Brewing’s Double D Double IPA and advertising 

campaigns such as the Irish brewery that used the 

tagline, ‘Dublin Blonde goes down easy.’ 

SOME COMPANIES HAVE EVEN GONE 

SO FAR AS TO DEVELOP BEERS TO SPECIFICALLY 

CATER FOR THE FEMALE MARKET. 

Whilst we have never really had an issue with that form 

of marketing of beer here in Australia, it signals a shift 

in thinking about product promotion. It is recognition 

that women enjoy beer just as much as men and they 

are an important market to consider. 

It is interesting to note, recent studies suggest women 

make up a very decent percentage of beer drinkers 

in most parts of the Western world (in the US alone, 

women account for 25 per cent of beer consumption, 

and 37 per cent of craft beer consumption). 

Some companies have even gone so far as to develop 

beers to specifically cater for the female market. Last 

year social media was abuzz with discussing Praguebased 

beer company, Aurosa’s promotional campaign 

advocating ‘lady beer’.

Contact your local Ainsworth Sales Executive today to find out more on (07) 3209 6210 

or visit www.agtslots.com.au 

www.agtslots.com.au 

© 2018 All rights reserved Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd. 

Subject to regulatory approval

LATEST & GREATEST 

Photo Credit: Innocent Bystander in the Yarra Valley are utilising recyclable kegs to serve their wine. 

KEG WINE 

THAT’S RIGHT, KEG WINE, NOT CASK WINE. IN A MOVE THAT MAY HORRIFY SOME, 

WINE PRODUCERS ARE TRYING A DIFFERENT APPROACH AND THE RESULTS MAY SURPRISE YOU. 


Zilzie Wines in North-West Victoria and Innocent 

Bystander of Healesville in the Yarra Valley are just 

two wine producers who have jumped into the keg 

wine experience. Zilzie’s range includes two tap wines 

(rose and pinot grigio) which they have introduced 

to venues along the east coast of Australia from 

Queensland down to their Victorian home base. 

Innocent Bystander has combined their cellar door, 

a café, a restaurant and a bar with all their wines on 

tap, freshly served in temperature controlled, 100% 

recyclable kegs. There is even Australia’s first 100% 

premium wine-on-tap company – South Australia’s 

Riot Wine who have been producing high quality, low 

preservative and sustainable wine on tap since 2016.

LATEST & GREATEST 

A quick search online and you will find other suppliers 

of keg wine such as A&E Wine Imports who bring 

wines into Australia from Veneto, “a small but highly 

important region tucked into the north-eastern corner 

of Italy.” Keg Star is another business providing a keg 

leasing service to wine producers as well as craft 

brewers. Keg Star supply fully custom branded silk 

screen printed kegs. 

So what’s all the fuss? The keg wine system, whilst not 

intended to replace bottles altogether, is said to be a 

much more efficient way of serving wine by the glass 

at pubs. It is apparently better suited to wines that are 

crisp and served cold such as white wine. 

So, is this truly a better way to enjoy wine by the 

glass? Well out of a keg, wine apparently remains 

fresh from the first glass to the last - well at least up 

to 30 days it would appear. That has got to be better 

than throwing out half consumed bottles of “wine by 

the glass”. It is said there is no oxidation, no corkage, 

no spoilage and therefore no waste. It also apparently 

increases the speed of service with no time wasted 

pulling corks plus there is no more trash or need to 

recycle bottles. 

THE KEG WINE SYSTEM, WHILST NOT INTENDED TO REPLACE BOTTLES ALTOGETHER, 

IS SAID TO BE A MUCH MORE EFFICIENT WAY OF SERVING WINE BY THE GLASS AT PUBS. 

IN THE CAN! 

While we are at it, why not wine by the can? 

The craft beer movement has vehemently resurrected 

the humble tinnie and now the wine guys have 

followed suit and why not. Wine out of a bottle is so 

trés inconvenienté. You have to lug around a bottle, 

find a suitable glass and even a corkscrew. Check out 

this awesome can design with an even better name. 


FEATURE 

TRUE NORTH 


Weipa. with a population of less the 5000 people is the 

largest town on the Cape York Peninsula and for those 

unaware, has quite an interesting history. Duyfken 

Point, just north of Weipa is the first recorded point of 

European contact with the Australian continent. Dutch 

explorer Willem Janszoon, on his ship the Duyfken, 

sighted the coast here in 1606, some 164 years before 

Lieutenant James Cook sailed up the east coast of 

Australia. 

The town itself began as a Presbyterian Aboriginal 

mission outpost before the start of the 20th century 

in 1898. It wasn’t until 1955 that a geologist by the 

name of Henry Evans discovered the red cliffs on the 

Aboriginal reserve, previously remarked on by the early 

Dutch explorers and Matthew Flinders, were actually 

enormous deposits of bauxite – the ore from which 

aluminium is made – and to a lesser extent tungsten. 

The rest as they say is history. Mining commenced 

in 1960 with the present town constructed mainly 

by Comalco (now called Rio Tinto Alcan). The Weipa 

bauxite mine is the largestof its kind in the world.

FEATURE 

TRUE NORTH 

WEIPA, WAY UP ON THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA 

COAST IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND IS KNOWN AS 

A MINING TOWN. IT OWES ITS EXISTENCE TO THE 

DISCOVERY OF ENORMOUS BAUXITE DEPOSITS 

ALONG THE COAST. THIS REGION HOWEVER, MEANS 

A LOT MORE THAN THAT MERE DESCRIPTION TO THE 

POWER FAMILY. 

WE RECENTLY HAD THE PLEASURE OF CHATTING WITH 

BOTH MARK AND BERNARD POWER OF THE POWER 

HOTEL GROUP ABOUT THEIR ALBATROSS BAY RESORT 

UP IN WEIPA AND THEIR LOVE FOR THE CAPE. 

Weipa, with a population of less the 5000 people, is 

the largest town on the Cape York Peninsula and for 

those unaware has quite an interesting history. Duyfken 

Point, just north of Weipa, is the first recorded point of 

European contact with the Australian continent. Dutch 

explorer Willem Janszoon, on his ship the Duyfken, 

sighted the coast here in 1606, some 164 years before 

Lieutenant James Cook sailed up the east coast of 

Australia. 

The town itself began as a Presbyterian Aboriginal 

mission outpost before the start of the 20th century 

in 1898. It wasn’t until 1955 that a geologist by the 

name of Henry Evans discovered the red cliffs on the 

Aboriginal reserve, previously remarked on by the early 

Dutch explorers and Matthew Flinders, were actually 

enormous deposits of bauxite – the ore from which 

aluminium is made – and to a lesser extent tungsten. 

The rest as they say is history. Mining commenced 

in 1960 with the present town constructed mainly 

by Comalco (now called Rio Tinto Alcan). The Weipa 

bauxite mine is the largest of its kind in the world. 


FEATURE 

THE DECK AND BEER GARDEN ARE ICONIC IN WEIPA. THE DECK HAS BECOME WHAT PEOPLE 

REFER TO AS ‘THE PLACE TO MEET’ 


FEATURE 

So how did this mining town attract the interest of the 

Powers, and more importantly, what is it like running 

one of the northern most hotels in Australia? We were 

keen to find out. Bernard takes up the story. 

“The hotel was built in 1970 by Australian Airlines, 

then known as TAA. It consisted of the main hotel with 

an adjoining motel of 22 units. In 1980, they built a 

further 18 units to bring the total to 40. We bought the 

resort in 1981. Aside from numerous refurbishments to 

both the motel and the main hotel building, the overall 

structure hasn’t changed other than the addition of a 

very large beautiful deck overlooking the bay.” 

The result has seen it become a focal point for not 

only the hotel but indeed the people in town and the 

surrounding regions. Mark elaborates, “The deck 

and beer garden are iconic in Weipa. The deck has 

become what people refer to as ‘the place to meet’, 

whether it is your first time or you have lived there for 

50 years. It is a beautiful spot in the day or night. It’s 

position overlooking Albatross Bay is also unique in 

that it is one of the only places in Queensland where 

you can watch the sun set over the ocean from the 

western side.” 

It prompted us to ask Mark about hotel patronage and 

the types of customers The Albatross attracts. 

“The average person can be anything from a 24 yearold 

masters engineering student who wants a fantastic 

cup of coffee and knows a great red wine, a family 

travelling around Australia camping and fishing, an 

executive couple who have just retired or a group of 

professionals who are coming up recreationally. It is 

that diverse. It can even be a number of employees 

of the various companies who use Weipa as a central 

point for their commercial or public works around the 

mines. It’s a huge mixture.” 

Mark went on to explain how Weipa is anything but a 

boom or bust town. 

“It is a steady, stable town underpinned by Rio Tinto 

but there is also a lot of government activity. Education 

is a huge employer up here through public and private 

schooling. There is a lot of visitation to Cape York due 

to education, health, environment and defence.” 

As a result Weipa Airport has flights arriving regularly 

throughout the week. 

Work is being undertaken on a new mine, along with 

an upgrade of the port facilities and aside from the 

commercial airport, just 30 minutes outside of Weipa is 

the Royal Australian Air Force’s Scherger base. This is 

a strategic air strip capable of being activated at short 

notice. It was designed for operational units to move 

into existing facilities at little or no notice, either for 

urgent defence requirements or military exercises. 

Mark continues, “There are enormous environmental 

and infrastructure development works taking place. 

Water, roads, manufacturing, along with all the support 

services which come with it – the size of these projects 


FEATURE 


is bigger than the whole of South East Queensland. 

A sealed road from Cairns through to Weipa is well 

underway and it’s such a massive project. It’s state 

and federally funded and won’t be finished till 2021. 

With our fascination growing about this intriguing town 

we asked Mark about the lure of Weipa from a tourist 

perspective. His affinity for the region was evident. 

“It’s a very spectacular part of Australia and one of 

the most remote places on earth with untold beauty. 

The region offers a terrain and landscape that is very 

rare. The only similarities being the Northern Territory 

and Western Australia. There are pristine lakes and 

waterfalls. You could be swimming around and there 

wouldn’t be five people within 200km of you. 

“With people increasingly seeking unique holidays, 

it’s appeal to campers and grey nomads in caravans, 

hunters and fishermen is undeniable. The Barra fishing 

and mud crabbing is incredible.The fish you can catch 

up there is something else – Mangrove Jack, Marlin, 

Barra. I mean Barra is not only exceptional eating, it is 

such an exciting way to fish. Sometimes we will take 

a boat out and even catch Bluefin Salmon with a little 

lure. It is a beautiful part of the world.” 

With the mention of fishing we couldn’t help but 

enquire about the crocs. 

“Yes, there are a few big lizards in the water and a 

couple of noahs too but if you use your common 

sense you don’t have too much to worry about. 

Boating around these parts is wonderful and a lot of 

people enjoy its unique aspects.” 

Our conversation turned to travelling to Weipa by road 

and what challenges this presents from a logistical 

perspective in keeping the hotel well stocked. 

“It’s about an 11-hour drive from Cairns but it is 

dependent on the condition of the roads. When you 

are in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne it is nice to talk 

about the weather as a conversation starter but in the 

Cape, it is vital information. 

“Some periods you can’t get through or its largely 

dependent on the type of vehicle you drive. You may 

need to wait a few days or leave immediately. It is a

FEATURE 


FEATURE 


FEATURE 

bit of an art form on whether to take that road. So 

yes, this plays a part in the logistics of keeping the 

hotel well stocked. From this perspective, there are a 

great deal more challenges with running a hotel here 

as opposed to Cairns south but it’s part and parcel of 

business on the Cape.” 

We gathered this would necessitate a substantial 

storage facility as well. 

“We have a well-worn system developed over 

decades. Our supply chain is coupled with a 

tremendously large storage capability at the hotel. 

Over time we have built and custom built and added 

on so physically, it is an enormous venue. We have 

the capability to store a huge amount of stock on the 

site, which can be necessary if you have a cyclone that 

stays around for a while and the roads are shut.” 

No doubt the abundance of fresh, local produce at 

least helps with keeping the restaurant well stocked as 

well as providing a healthy source of inspiration. Mark 

enthusiastically agreed. 

“You bet. We have terrific seafood. Indeed, if we 

changed the menu totally we would never take off 

a terrifically cooked fillet of Barrimundi because it is so 

well regarded here, as are the mud crabs. We have 

terrific local chefs who can prepare some beautiful 

OUR TEAM UP THERE, THEY ARE LIKE A FAMILY 

AND WE OPERATE IT LIKE A FAMILY. WE CATCH UP 

IN WEIPA, BRISBANE OR CAIRNS TO DO THINGS 

TOGETHER QUITE REGULARLY, INSIDE AND 

OUTSIDE OF THE BUSINESS. 

seafood. People will even come in after a few days of 

fishing and we will cook up their fish for them as well.” 

Mark’s reference to his chefs raises the issue of staffing 

and the importance of recruiting a great team. 

“There wouldn’t be a business in Australia who 

wouldn’t say that people are the most important 

component. Our team up there, they are like a 

family and we operate it like a family. We catch up in 

Weipa, Brisbane or Cairns to do things together quite 

regularly, inside and outside of the business. 

“We are very involved in the day to day life of our 

team ensuring they are motivated, challenged and 

enjoying what they do. It is important when you are in 

an isolated part of the world to also get out every now 


FEATURE 

“WE ALSO INVEST HEAVILY IN OUR STAFF 

ACCOMMODATION, ALLOCATING A LARGE PARCEL 

OF LAND FOR THEIR RECREATIONAL FACILITIES. 

WE WOULD UPGRADE THEIR ACCOMMODATION 

FACILITIES ALMOST EVERY TWO YEARS TO ENSURE 

A GREAT DEAL OF SATISFACTION WITH THEIR 

LIVING ARRANGEMENT.” 

Clockwise from left - Mark, Brendan, 

John, Bernard and Eamon Power 


and again. As such, we get them down to Brisbane to 

watch the football and to keep them in tune with what 

trends are developing in terms of dining, food and 

beverage. 

“We also invest heavily in our staff accommodation, 

allocating a large parcel of land for their recreational 

facilities. We would upgrade their accommodation 

facilities almost every two years to ensure a great deal 

of satisfaction with their living arrangement.” 

As most would be well aware, the Power family have a 

long history in the hotels industry so I was keen to hear 

about their future plans for the business. 

“We are at a point where our freehold hotels and 

interest in liquor are solely focussed in Cape York 

(In the late 90’s the Power Hotel Group divested 

itself of numerous hotel interests around the State). 

This however could change in the next two to three 

years. The group is now quite diverse with interests in 

property, event management and so forth but our first 

and foremost passion and commitment is in hotels and 

that will remain forever and a day. We have invested 

in a long-term plan in the Cape so we want to see 

it develop and grow but we still want the region to 

retain its special appeal - that natural beauty and the 

culture of Cape York itself. That is an important part of 

ensuring the hotel and Weipa itself is progressive. 

“There is a lot happening in the region and a wealth 

of beauty with incredible recreational opportunities as 

well. It is truly exciting. The dynamic of Weipa and Far 

North Queensland has changed more in the last 10 

years than it has in the previous 50 years. It really has 

a wonderful feel to it.”

MP ATTORNEY GENERAL 

with The Hon. Yvette D’Ath 

GET READY FOR THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES 


It’s not long until we start welcoming athletes and 

visitors to our great state for the 2018 Gold Coast 

Commonwealth Games. 

The government has announced that restaurants and 

licensed venues in Gold Coast Safe Night Precincts 

(SNPs) will be able to serve alcohol for an extra hour 

during the games. 

Venues can also apply to open even longer if they 

choose to use their allocation of extended trading 

hours permits. For such a special once-in-a-generation 

event, application fees will be waived for licensed 

venues applying to extend their trading hours during 

the games. 

INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES’ GOLD COAST 2018 

Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) 

accreditation passes will be recognised as sufficient 

ID to enter licensed venues across Queensland. 

In addition, as part of welcome packs and 

communication with all athletes, we will recommend 

they carry their passports or licences, to ensure 

quickest scanned entry. 

ID scanning is only required after 10pm in licensed 

venues in SNPs which have licensing hours that allow 

trade beyond midnight. Venues which don’t currently 

require ID scanners will not need to install them for the 

games. 

Scanner manufacturers have been provided with 

a full list of all 70 nations competing in the games. 

To learn more about extended trading hours permits, 

visit ‘Permanent (ongoing) and temporary 

(one-off) extended trading hours’ at 

www.business.qld.gov.au/liquor-gaming. 

ID SCANNING IS ONLY REQUIRED AFTER 10PM 

IN LICENSED VENUES IN SNPS WHICH HAVE 

LICENSING HOURS THAT ALLOW TRADE BEYOND 

MIDNIGHT. VENUES WHICH DON’T CURRENTLY 

REQUIRE ID SCANNERS WILL NOT NEED TO INSTALL 

THEM FOR THE GAMES. 

GAMBLING COMMUNITY BENEFIT FUND – ROUND 94 

Last month, I was pleased to announce the list of 

more than 600 community groups who received 

$13.9 million worth of grants as part of Round 94 

of the Gambling Community Benefit Fund. 

It was exciting news for these groups as it now allows 

them to fund projects that would have otherwise been 

out of reach. 

These grants are worth between $500 and $35,000 

and are offered to help sporting clubs and communitybased 

organisations purchase equipment and improve 

their facilities and services. 

If you’re interested in learning which local groups near 

you benefited, the full list of successful applicants are 

available on the Department of Justice and Attorney- 

General website: www.justice.qld.gov.au/grants. 

Applications for Rounds 95 and 96 have now closed. 

Successful applicants will be announced in the coming 

months.

Konami Australia Pty Ltd. 28 Lord Street Botany NSW 

Tel: 02 9666 3111 Email: reps@konami.com.au www.konamigaming.com

OLGR 

with Michael Sarquis 

DRINK SPIKING 


FOLLOWING A REQUEST FROM LICENSEES, 

WE’VE PRODUCED A NEW DRINK SPIKING POSTER 

TO EDUCATE PATRONS ABOUT THE WARNING SIGNS 

AND HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES. 

You can download the new sign ‘Drink spiking don’t 

let it happen to you’ from the Queensland Government 

publications portal at www.publications.qld.gov.au. 

BRISBANE PROSECUTION 

A Sunnybank karaoke restaurant licensee has been 

convicted and fined for a second time, for multiple 

offences under the Liquor Act 1992. 

On 6 February 2018, the Holland Park Magistrates 

Court convicted the restaurant licensee company on 

11 charges under the Act and fined them $40,000. 

This second conviction and fine serves as a timely 

reminder to all licensees that we have zero tolerance 

for this type of behaviour. 

The magistrate commented during sentencing that 

the licensee had shown blatant disregard for their 

responsibilities under the Liquor Act and made no 

improvements after multiple warnings, infringements 

and a previous conviction and fine of $15,000 early 

last year. 

Investigations by our compliance officers revealed the 

licensee and venue management to have jeopardised 

the safety of their patrons and staff between August 

and October 2017. 

The significant breaches of the Act included: 

• CCTV signage not displayed and CCTV equipment 

not maintained 

• failing to ensure that the crowd controller 

maintained order in and around the licenced 

premises 

• approved manager provided misleading 

documents to investigators 

• four employees involved in the service or supply of 

alcohol did not have current Responsible Service of 

Alcohol certificates for several months 

• on multiple occasions, the venue manager allowed 

alcohol to be consumed by a person who showed 

clear signs of undue intoxication 

• staff sold alcohol to patrons when the restaurant’s 

liquor license was suspended 

• failing to provide and maintain a safe environment 

in and around the venue including patrons rapidly 

consuming alcohol, alcohol consumption without 

adequate supervision, staff and patrons smoking 

indoors, putting out cigarettes on the floor and 

flicking them across the room, an extremely violent 

and uncontrolled brawl and a patron passed out 

for a significant period of time without any medical 

assistance or checks. 

EASTER AND ANZAC DAY TRADING HOURS 

Be sure to familiarise yourself with the upcoming 

Good Friday and Anzac Day trading hours by visiting 

‘Trading hours for liquor licensees’ at www.business. 

qld.gov.au/liquor-gaming. 

You may receive a visit from one of our compliance 

officers, who will be out and about over these periods. 

Remember, trading hours on your licence don’t apply 

to special days, such as Good Friday and Anzac Day. 

If you have entered into a written agreement with an 

RSL or services club to sell alcohol at your licensed 

venue during an Anzac Day event held on behalf of 

their club (such as a dawn service), you will need to 

apply for an extended trading hours permit at least 

21 days prior. 

Applications received by OLGR less than 21 days prior 

may not be processed so get in quick! To learn more 

about extended trading hours permits, visit ‘Permanent 

(ongoing) and temporary (one-off) extended trading 

hours’ at www.business.qld.gov.au/liquor-gaming.

LEGAL MATTERS with Curt Schatz 

INTERIM AUTHORITIES - 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW 


We have recently acted for a number of hotel landlords 

who, due to no fault on their part, have found 

themselves in difficulty because their tenant is unable 

to continue trading the hotel business, endangering 

the value of the landlord’s asset. The Liquor Act 1992 

provides relief to landlords and other affected parties 

such as mortgagees or secured creditors through the 

interim authority mechanism, which can allow a venue 

to continue to trade for a set period of time until a new 

licensee is approved to hold the licences. 

As the name suggests, an interim authority can be 

granted by the OLGR to allow a premises to continue 

to trade under a liquor licence on an interim basis for a 

designated period of time, usually three months, until 

the authority expires. 

The circumstances in which a landlord, mortgagee, or 

owner of a financial interest in the premises may apply 

to the Commissioner for an interim authority include: 

1. a licensee ceasing to conduct business on the 

premises (i.e. due to abandonment, termination of 

lease or insolvency); 

2. the Commissioner ordering cancellation of the 

licence but the order having yet to take effect; or 

3. the Commissioner suspending the licence. 

As these situations generally arise due to issues relating 

to termination of the lease of a venue or a liquidation 

event, some of the more common scenarios where 

interim authorities are needed include: 

LEASES 

• Where a lease of a premises comes to an end and 

there is no new tenant to immediately take over the 

premises. If the landlord has not yet finalised the 

transfer of the liquor licence to itself, often it will be 

beneficial for the landlord or its nominee to apply 

for an interim authority to trade under the licence so 

that the venue can continue operating; 

• Where a tenant of a premises ceases trade and 

leaves immediately with no notice to the landlord. 

Similar to the situation above, it might be beneficial 

for the landlord to apply for an interim authority to 

continue to operate the business until a new tenant 

can be found; and 

• Where the landlord has terminated a lease due to 

default of a tenant and the landlord re-enters into 

possession of the premises. 

INSOLVENCY 

Where an external administrator is appointed to the 

licensee due to insolvency (i.e. liquidator, administrator, 

receivers and managers, mortgagee in possession) are 

appointed over the licensee or the premises. This is 

a common situation where an interim authority will be 

requested by the external administrator to continue to 

conduct the business of the licensee. 

An interim authority is intended to be merely an interim 

step to the full transfer of a liquor licence, so while 

these authorities may be extended if sufficient reasons 

exist, they cannot continue indefinitely, and a full licence 

transfer application must be lodged. 

The process for applying for an interim authority has 

a number of requirements to be met and sufficient 

evidence must be provided showing appropriate 

circumstances exist before the interim authority may be 

granted. 

For licensed venues that also have gaming machines, 

it is also important to note that the holder of an interim 

authority also needs to apply for special authorisation if 

it wishes to operate the gaming machines. 

It is also important for landlords to note that simply 

obtaining an interim authority and special authorisation 

after a tenant vacates or is evicted does not necessarily 

give the landlord control over the operating authorities. 

There is a real risk in these circumstances that a 

former tenant may still be able to surrender any or all 

of the operating authorities into the pool for sale. It is 

critical that a landlord has sufficient protection under its 

lease terms and acts quickly in these circumstances 

to preserve any operating authorities attached to the 

gaming machine licence for the premises. 

Should you have any queries or require any further 

information in relation to interim authorities please 

contact myself at Mullins Lawyers on (07) 3224 0230.

Brendan O’Farrell SUPERANNUATION 

THE NEW SUPER RULES YOUR TEAM 

WILL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT 

We’re well into 2018 now, and I hope your year 

has been successful so far. With the peak period of 

January out of the way, I’m sure most of you will have 

settled back into usual routines. If you need assistance 

with any superannuation processes that were put on 

hold during the busy season, Intrust Super would be 

happy to help. 

The Intrust Super team has also been settling into 

the usual yearly routine, and preparing for a few 

changes that are coming our way this year. Two new 

superannuation rules passed through Parliament 

late in 2017, and will be taking effect from 1 July 

2018. The new rules are an exciting development in 

superannuation, and could mean a better financial 

future for your team. 

DOWNSIZER CONTRIBUTION 

The downsizer contribution could be a fantastic 

opportunity for those nearing retirement. The new rule 

allows those over 65 to make an after-tax contribution 

to their super, up to a maximum of $300,000, using 

proceeds from the sale of their family home. 

This could be a worthwhile opportunity for anyone 

whose children have long since moved out, or who are 

considering a smaller home with lower maintenance 

costs. For any elderly family members who are looking 

into retirement accommodation, it’s an opportunity 

they could use to boost their super. 

The contribution will not count toward contribution 

caps, nor will it be affected by the $1.6 million transfer 

balance cap. It’s limited to $300,000 per individual, so 

a couple selling their shared home could contribute up 

to $600,000. 

Just keep in mind that the amount contributed will 

not be exempt from the assets test used to assess 

eligibility for the Age Pension. 

FIRST HOME SUPER SAVER SCHEME 

Young staff members looking to buy their first home 

might want to consider the First Home Super Saver 

(FHSS). The scheme enables first-home buyers to use 

their superannuation to assist in saving for a deposit. 

Any before or after-tax contributions made from 1 July 

2017 will count toward the FHSS balance. A maximum 

of $15,000 from one financial year and $30,000 in 

total can be claimed for use on a house deposit. 

Withdrawals will become available on 1 July 2018. 

The government believes the tax advantages available 

in super will help first-home buyers save for a deposit 

much faster. It could also help more young people start 

engaging with their superannuation accounts. 

If any of your staff decide to take advantage of this 

scheme, it could result in an increase in salary sacrifice 

requests. But salary sacrificing is not the only way 

to make tax-advantaged contributions to super. 

Employees can also apply for a tax deduction on any 

personal contributions they make to their super, and 

receive the same tax benefits as salary sacrificing. 

Your Intrust Super Relationship Manager would 

be happy to talk to staff about the range of super 

contributions available to them. They can also give 

any interested staff more information on the FHSS. 

Give them a call today! 

The information contained in this document is of a general nature only, 

and does not take into account your individual situation, objectives 

and needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the general 

information having regard to your own situation before making any 

investment decision. A Product Disclosure Statement is available at 

www.intrust.com.au or call us on 132 467 for a copy. 

Issued by IS Industry Fund Pty Ltd | MySuper Unique Identifier: 

65704511371601 | ABN: 45 010 814 623 | AFSL No: 238051 | RSE 

Licence No: L0001298 | Intrust Super ABN 65 704 511 371 | SPIN/ 

USI: HPP0100AU | RSE Registration No: R1004397 


PROFILE 

Photos: Crows Nest Hotel 

DRIVEN BY DESIGN 


Darren Dickfos Architects (DDA) capped off an eventful 

2017 with one of its major projects winning the AHA 

National Award for Excellence for Best Redeveloped 

Hotel (General Division). Its redesign of the heritagelisted 

north Sydney entertainment venue, the Crows 

Nest Hotel, turned a well-used and dilapidated building 

interior into a vibrant array of intriguing multi-purpose 

spaces. 

Before the $8 million redevelopment the 3-storey 

“Crowie” was largely run out of the ground floor; the 

two upstairs floors being former accommodation 

facilities that the owners, ALH Group, had adapted into 

office space for its state headquarters. 

DDA’s task was to reconfigure every level of the 

building starting with the basement, which was 

opened out to include a loading bay and a refurbished 

cellar and storage area. Next, alterations at groundlevel 

saw the creation of the hotel’s chic new One 

Willoughby Bar, a new Bistro that doubles as a live 

band venue, and a gaming lounge. 

A massive re-working of the first floor saw office space 

transformed into function rooms, a cocktail bar, a roof 

top lounge and a distinguished lounge bar complete 

with wood panelling and chesterfield couches. 

Meanwhile, ALH’s office space was consolidated in a 

fresh fit-out of the top floor. 

DDA director Darren Dickfos says he’s extremely proud 

of the end result and the positive feedback from the 

client and patrons. 

“Each area has its own identity, yet seamlessly flows 

from space to space,” he says. 

“This provides patrons with a variety of environs in 

which to enjoy—from quiet private nooks, open air 

rooftop spaces overlooking other bar areas below, to 

funky crowd-thumping live band lounges. 

“Each area also has multiple uses. The chesterfield 

filled lounge can go from a refined place to meet your 

business associates to a function room for that upmarket 

corporate event. The trendy bistro can be reset 

as a place to have a quiet drink after work and then 

transform into a late night entertainment venue.” 

DDA was also responsible for designing the recent 

revamp of the Isa Hotel’s Rodeo Bar and Grill owned

PROFILE 

“WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON OUR DEDICATION TO OUR CLIENTS’ NEEDS AND OFFER UNIQUE SOLUTIONS, 

NO MATTER THE SIZE OR SCALE OF THE HOSPITALITY PROJECT.” 

by the Hakfoort Group. The wild-west theme with a 

distinctly Aussie twist went some way in earning the 

venue QHA’s Award for Excellence for Best Casual 

Dining last year. (It featured in the December 2017 

edition of QHA Review.) Creative touches included 

cladding the walls with raw railway sleepers and 

fitting out the décor with industrial copper pendants, 

crocodile skin upholstery and a specifically devised 

carpet reminiscent of the outback desert. 

Based in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley, DDA has been 

offering its unique brand of architecture to hotel 

and hospitality clients for 21 years. Darren says the 

company has developed capabilities and resources 

that are dedicated to engaging client input across all 

project stages from initiation to completion. 

“We recognise the benefits of good brief formation as 

well as design and review in the design process with the 

end goal of creating a fit-for-purpose solution,” he says. 

As a result of the success of these award winning 

projects, DDA is now involved in the Hakfoort Group’s 

$11 million refurbishment of Toowoomba’s iconic 

Burke and Wills Hotel. 


PROFILE 

Photos: Crows Nest Hotel first floor 

office space transformation. 


THE BURKE AND WILLS HOTEL IS ON TRACK TO BE 

COMPLETED IN APRIL AND INCLUDES THE TOTAL 

REFURBISHMENT OF 82 HOTEL ROOMS INCLUDING 

18 PRESTIGIOUS SUITES, FOUR FUNCTION AREAS, 

BISTRO, GAMING LOUNGE, AND A TWO-STOREY 

ATRIUM STYLE RECEPTION AND FOYER COMPLETE 

WITH A BESPOKE “LOTUS FLOWER” CHANDELIER. 

With this project Darren is mindful that the design and 

décor for a bar or hotel in a Brisbane or Sydney venue 

won’t necessarily suit a venue in a provincial centre 

such as Toowoomba. 

“For the Burke and Wills, the client requested a 

classical country feel while at the same time respecting 

the building’s historic modernist origins. This was a 

major part of DDA winning the commission and has 

been a hallmark of our success in many projects 

throughout the provincial centres of Queensland.” 

The Burke and Wills Hotel is on track to be completed 

in April and includes the total refurbishment of 82 hotel 

rooms including 18 prestigious suites, four function 

areas, bistro, gaming lounge, and a two-storey atrium 

style reception and foyer complete with a bespoke 

“lotus flower” chandelier. 

“We pride ourselves on our dedication to our clients’ 

needs and offer unique solutions, no matter the size or 

scale of the hospitality project.” 

To learn more about how DDA could assist you with 

your next building or renovation project visit: 

ddarchitects.com.au 

Or call 07 3358 1786

FOCUS 

ARE YOUR EMERGENCY 

PROCEDURES 

GOLD MEDAL WORTHY? 

Three years in the planning and now with just a few 

short weeks to go before the Commonwealth Games 

commence, the excitement in Queensland is palpable. 

So too is the level of activity and preparation to ensure 

that everything is ready and running smoothly for the 

biggest international sporting event staged in Australia 

for a decade, and the largest ever hosted by the Gold 

Coast. 

With more than 6,600 athletes and team officials from 

70 Commonwealth nations and territories, 15,000 

volunteers and in excess of 100,000 visitors and media 

representatives expected to descend on the Gold 

Coast plus the 1.5 billion people that will tune in across 

the world to watch on TV, the success of this event is 

likely to be measured more by what doesn’t happen 

than by how many medals are won… 

Events with large groups of people necessitate specific 

safety requirements and the world will be watching 

to see how prepared we are. Not only do the sheer 

numbers of attendees pose a challenge to emergency 

responders but the event type, venue and location 

can present its own set of hazards,and safety is 

not something you want to assume is being done 

correctly. 

A carefully collaborated approach by QFES and 

thousands of man hours have gone into ensuring all 

competition venues and other important sites and 

precincts achieve building fire safety compliance, 

effectively covering the safety of the general public and 

athletes attending the Games. But what of the tens of 

thousands of room nights required for the event? 

There will be 100 per cent occupancy across the 

Gold Coast and event cities Brisbane, Cairns and 

Townsville, and acording to a recent media report, 

many Class Two buildings which cater for mainly 

permanent residents, are being increasingly used for 

short-term accommodation through sites like Airbnb 

without conforming to higher fire safety legislation. 

One of the important obligations of business owners, 

managers, and accommodation providers is to ensure 

that visitors, staff and occupants are safe in the event 

of an emergency. If it hasn’t been done already, now is 

the time to ensure that all safety features are compliant 

and maintained. 

In addition to the equipment, all employees must be 

trained in fire safety and understand the appointed 

evacuation strategy. 

Are evacuation routes clearly marked? In 

accommodation buildings, are evacuation diagrams 

correctly placed and orientated? Are the exits signs 

and emergency lighting undamaged and maintained? 

Have general evacuation and first response 

instructions been given? 

Has an evacuation practice been conducted? This 

should be done annually, and prior to the Gold Coast 

2018 Commonwealth Games would be ideal. Training 

is readily available and there are a number of options 

for you to investigate, but make sure your workplace is 

emergency ready and that your team know what to do 

in the possible event of a fire or emergency situation. 

If a fire occurs, working fire protection systems 

can mean the difference between a minor fire and 

a devastating blaze. There is no better time to get 

prepared. 

Do your research, make some plans, get some advice 

and make sure you are prepared for one of the biggest 

events to hit the Gold Coast and your business. 

Call 1300 80 FIRE and be ready. 

Australian Fire Protection are proud members of 

the QHA who specialise in preparing people for 

emergencies through training, independent auditing 

and thorough evacuation diagrams. 

Preparing people for Emergencies 

australianfireprotection.com.au 

Ph:1300 80 3437 


INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT 

with Damian Steele 

GAMING INDUSTRY INTEGRITY AFFIRMED 

BY THE FEDERAL COURT 

JUSTICE MORTIMER OF THE FEDERAL COURT HAS DISMISSED A LANDMARK CASE BROUGHT 

BY A FORMER GAMBLING ADDICT AGAINST THE GAMBLING INDUSTRY, FINDING THAT 

THE DESIGN OF POKER MACHINES IS NOT MISLEADING OR UNCONSCIONABLE. 


Justice Mortimer’s ruling in favour of Crown Casino 

and Aristocrat in the Federal Court marks a line in 

the sand that should end the campaign of myth 

and misinformation that has been waged against 

the gaming industry. It’s the first time a claim has 

alleged poker machines are deceptively designed and 

breached Australian Consumer Law, and the first to 

call into question the behaviour of manufacturers in the 

industry. 

The case failed on all counts and the Federal Court 

ruled the subject machine complied with regulations 

and cleared Crown Casino and Aristocrat of any 

wrongdoing. The judgement reinforced the integrity 

of the gaming industry after a vexatious campaign 

was waged against the industry based on speculative 

claims which have failed to withstand legal scrutiny. 

In particular, Her Honour noted the industry’s high level 

of compliance with “a detailed and comprehensive 

regulatory regime” which was an important factor in 

her conclusion. Her Honour resolved that the case 

failed to show there had been any breach of consumer 

laws. 

“I did not find anything in the conduct of Crown or 

Aristocrat that could be found as unconscionable,” 

Justice Mortimer said. 

The gaming industry is a high-integrity business that 

takes regulatory obligations seriously and strives to 

scrupulously uphold these obligations with respect to 

electronic gaming machine compliance. The industry 

continues to support balanced and fact-based harm 

minimisation initiatives and recognising that problem 

gambling issues are complex and require collaboration 

across industry, regulators and the community. 

This decision represents an important outcome for the 

gaming industry and the countless Queenslanders who 

will continue to enjoy poker machine entertainment 

with the full knowledge that they are playing games 

that adhere to world class standards. This is a win for 

facts over hearsay and opinion, and most importantly 

it’s a win for the robust regulatory environment that 

Australian poker machines operate in. 

THE GAMING INDUSTRY IS A HIGH-INTEGRITY 

BUSINESS THAT TAKES REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS 

SERIOUSLY AND STRIVES TO SCRUPULOUSLY 

UPHOLD THESE OBLIGATIONS WITH RESPECT TO 

ELECTRONIC GAMING MACHINE COMPLIANCE.

Ross Tims TRAINING AND SAFETY 

FOOD SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ARE 

YOUR BEST RESPONSE 

WE GET CALLS FROM TIME TO TIME FROM HOTEL 

MEMBERS WANTING TO KNOW WHAT THEY 

CAN DO ABOUT “OVER-ZEALOUS” COUNCIL 

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH OFFICERS (EHOS) WHO 

VISIT THEIR PREMISES AT INCONVENIENT TIMES, 

FIND ALLEGED UNHYGIENIC FOOD PRACTICES, 

AND GIVE OUT IMPROVEMENT NOTICES WITH 

“UNREASONABLE” DEADLINES 

FOR RECTIFICATION. 

I think part of the problem might be that there are 77 

local councils across the state and each one of them 

is the stand-alone food safety regulator within their 

jurisdiction. The fact is, they don’t all operate from the 

same song sheet – the Food Act 2006 is enforced 

vicariously through what’s called the Australian/NZ 

Food Standards Code, a statutory bi-national authority. 

Enforcement and interpretation of the Code is the 

responsibility of each local council at the ground level. 

There isn’t a common EHO food safety audit tool that’s 

used across local and regional councils who inspect 

your premises. A small number of councils operate 

a food safety ratings system (Eat Safe Brisbane is an 

example) which provide businesses with, effectively, 

the audit tool used by their inspectors. That gives the 

licensee the opportunity to exercise due diligence 

and ensure the premises are up to speed prior to any 

potential EHO visit, especially with regard to critical 

and major non-compliances which are identified in the 

audit tool. Proving that you exercised due diligence is a 

statutory defence under this Act. 

The EHO is a person who can close down your 

licensable food business if they so determine. Under 

the legislation, they are authorised to enter your 

premises any time you are open for carrying on the 

food business, or otherwise open for entry. They can 

also enter if they have a warrant, at any time. 

Once the EHO has entered your premises they can 

undertake a range of investigative and inspection 

functions such as: 

• Searching any part of the premises 

(non-residential). 

• Inspect, measure, test, photograph or film 

anything. 

• Take a sample or item from the premises for 

analysis; i.e. they can collect or seize evidence. 

• Take or copy a document at or from the premises. 

For good measure, you are legally required to provide 

the EHO with reasonable help or information so they’re 

able to exercise their powers under this Act, and can 

be prosecuted for not doing so. For the “over-zealous” 

inspector, my advice is to be proactive to ensure you 

meet your food safety obligations as best you can 

beforehand. That may sound trite but it’s a tried and 

tested formula. At the time of inspection, I would be 

doing my best to comply with anything they wanted 

me to do, within reason. 

The EHO has the power to give you a lawful direction 

to stop doing an activity that may contravene the Act, 

give you an improvement notice to undertake certain 

rectification action under deadline, or, in extreme 

circumstances, shut you down for a period of time. 

Formally complaining to their council supervisor may 

make you feel better but you could be making a rod 

for your own back. My advice is to complain only if 

you have evidence that the EHO has acted illegally, 

or performed their duties in a seriously unprofessional 

manner. 


INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS 

GAMING FOR 

ALL SEASONS 

STEP INTO THE NEWLY RENOVATED GAMING ROOM 

OF THE GOLD COAST’S HOPE ISLAND TAVERN AND 

YOU STEP INTO A VIBRANT WORLD OF LIGHT, SOUND 

AND COLOUR THAT WON THE HOTEL “BEST GAMING 

VENUE” AT LAST YEAR’S QHA AWARDS 

FOR EXCELLENCE. 

A state-of-the art ambience system means lighting 

and music can be instantly adjusted to day or night 

settings. And in keeping with the desire to reflect 

temporal change, the gaming room is constantly 

restyled by gaming staff to suit the seasons. In spring 

the décor can incorporate more florals and fresh 

items. In winter stark fragrances and themes are 

incorporated. 

The gaming room is located centrally within the hotel 

with the restaurant area and sports bar residing either 

side so it can easily be accessed from any area of the 

hotel or via its own entrance. The room is spacious 

and inviting, enabling patrons to feel comfortable, 

welcome and secure. 

Players can choose from an extensive range of 

gaming machines that include 40 of the latest offerings 

with five jackpot links available: Lightening Link, 

Jackpot Carnival, Dragon Link, Cash Magnet and 

Players Paradise. The array of machines provides 

denominations across the scale from 1c to $1 

machines. 


INSIGHTS 


TEAM MEMBERS ARE HIGHLY TRAINED, NEVER 

WITHOUT A SMILE AND ARE ENCOURAGED 

WHEREVER POSSIBLE TO WELCOME PATRONS BY 

NAME. ALL GAMING STAFF HAVE THE APPROPRIATE 

CERTIFICATION AND ALSO DO IN-HOUSE TRAINING 

TO ENSURE THE BEST POSSIBLE SERVICE AND BEST 

PRACTICE. 

The Hope Island Tavern prides itself on exceptional 

service that extends to its gaming area with plenty of 

seasonally themed promotions and complimentary 

facilities. Within the gaming room is a lounge bar area 

for customers to sit back and take a break, play Keno 

or enjoy a coffee, dessert, or light snack from the 

bistro.The coffee station is always fully stocked with 

a variety of teas, lollies, biscuits, chocolates, cup-a 

soup and ice water. A display table sits in the middle 

with fresh flowers, daily newspapers and a bowl of 

fresh seasonal fruit. Low coffee tables, comfy chairs 

and gentle lighting complete the scene – along with 

“Jackpot”, the lounge area’s lucky fighting fish carefully 

scrutinising patrons from within his large bowl. Next to 

the lounge area dedicated staff run a gaming bar and 

cashier station. 

Team members are highly trained, never without 

a smile and are encouraged wherever possible to 

welcome patrons by name. All gaming staff have the 

appropriate certification and also do in-house training 

to ensure the best possible service and best practice. 

Attention to detail makes the Hope Island Tavern’s 

gaming experience memorable all year round.

WOMEN IN HOTELS 

L U N C H E O N 

AN EVENT FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY 

Featuring The Champagne Dame, Kyla Kirkpatrick. 

Purchase tickets online www.qha.org.au/events 

Ticket sales close strictly Friday 4th May. 

TICKETS $99 EACH OR $990 FOR A TABLE OF 10 

TUESDAY 15 MAY 2018 

THE RAINBOW ROOM, 

CLOUDLAND

INSIGHTS 

RUSTIC VITALITY 


A combination of geographic isolation, unsteady 

economic times and changing consumer demands 

can make life hard for a rural pub. Like many, the 

Mena Creek Hotel on the Cassowary Coast has done 

it tough. When Nick and Corinne Devine assumed 

the managers’ mantle in 2015, the old pub had seen 

better days. Despite being located within earshot of 

Mena Creek Falls by the popular Paronella Park, the 

business had struggled to deliver a decent turnover. 

But with “fresh, young eyes”, as Nick puts it, the Mena 

Creek Hotel is beginning to thrive again in a new and 

very different business landscape. 

While the immediate local community is an extremely 

important part of the hotel, Nick says they quickly 

realised it was no longer viable for the business to rely 

solely on that market. 

“We needed to broaden the horizons of the pub and 

make it a destination in its own right.” 

To achieve this, Nick and Corinne identified two 

markets in addition to local trade that would be pivotal 

to the hotel’s ongoing viability: people from nearby 

centres such as Innisfail, Mission Beach, Tully or Cairns 

looking for a nice day out; and tourists attracted to the 

area by Paronella Park. 

“With one of Australia’s most amazing tourist 

attractions down the road we saw a huge amount of 

foot traffic walking past our doors. A major market that 

the hotel wasn’t taking advantage of was day trippers; 

those people wanting to go for a leisurely lunch or 

delicious family dinner from the larger local population 

centres.” 

To get them through the door, the first thing the hotel 

needed was a freshen-up. So Nick and Corinne 

set about buying new furniture, renovating the 

seven accommodation rooms and amenities while 

undertaking extensive work to the bar and kitchen. But 

attention to customer service would prove the game 

changer.

INSIGHTS 

NICK AND CORINNE WORKED HARD TO BUILD THE FOOD ASPECT OF THE BUSINESS AND TO CHANGE 

THE MINDSET FROM “FEEDING THE DRINKERS TO KEEP THEM AROUND FOR ONE MORE” TO 

“WATERING THE FOODIES THAT COME FROM FAR AND WIDE FOR THE BEST STEAK AROUND”. 

“The biggest change was the cheapest,” Nick says. 

“And had the greatest effect on the popularity of the 

hotel; the change of attitude of our staff. This was 

achieved by hiring new key staff and the emphasis on 

our business mission statement: ‘Treat every guest like 

they’re visiting friends’. 

“Our job at Mena Creek Hotel is not to serve cold 

beer or cook a mean burger, rather, it’s to listen and 

converse with people and make new friends.” 

Nick and Corinne worked hard to build the food aspect 

of the business and to change the mindset from 

“feeding the drinkers to keep them around for one 

more” to “watering the foodies that come from far and 

wide for the best steak around”. 

The food is simple but done well and where possible 

they use fresh local produce, which Nick says is a 

good incentive for locals to support the hotel. 

“We also substitute our kitchen staff costs by 

preparing and ordering fresh vegetables for a local 

café. This fills in quiet periods in the day and … means 

during the low season we’re able to continue to bulk 

order and therefore receive our produce at a lower 

cost.” 

Above all, Nick and Corinne are proud of how they’ve 

managed to attract a wider customer base while still 

remaining faithful to their pub’s Aussie essence. 

“The Aussie pub experience is overlooked by many 

Australians because we’re so accustomed to it. But 

we found many of the guests love it and would not 

come in otherwise.” 

In recognition of the hotel losing none of its rustic 

authenticity during its remarkable turn-around, the 

QHA crowned it Best Bush Pub at last year’s Awards 

for Excellence. 


EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS with Sarah Tilby 

THE PERILS OF TAKING A CASUAL 

EMPLOYEE OFF THE ROSTER 


A COMMON QUESTION RECEIVED BY THE QHA 

EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS DEPARTMENT IS 

WHETHER AN EMPLOYER CAN SIMPLY STOP 

OFFERING A CASUAL ANY SHIFTS WITHOUT ANY 

RISK OF A CLAIM SUCH AS UNFAIR DISMISSAL. 

The answer is – whilst a casual employee does not 

have an entitlement to a set number of hours, it isnt as 

easy or risk-free as you might think! 

A recent Fair Work Commission (FWC) decision, 

Corina Shears v Playford City Soccer and Community 

Club Inc T/A Angle Vale Tavern [2017] FWC 6267 

illustrates this risk. 

Mrs Corina Shears, the applicant in this decision, 

worked as a casual employee in the gaming lounge 

and bistro at the Angle Vale Tavern from February 

2017. From the time she commenced employment up 

until early September 2017, she was absent from work 

for around 17 days – the bulk of these absences being 

unpaid personal leave for which Mrs Shears provided a 

medical certificate. 

Between 7 and 10 September, Mrs Shears was absent 

on unpaid personal leave and had provided a medical 

certificate for these dates. Her employer was aware 

that she was suffering “significant physical symptoms”, 

which the employer was concerned about given her role 

included food handling. Management made a decision 

to ask Mrs Shears to provide a medical clearance prior 

to her returning to work, rather than asking for just a 

standard medical certificate listing the days for which 

she was unfit for work. Commissioner Hampton, the 

FWC member who heard Mrs Shears’ unfair dismissal 

application, agreed that the decision to seek a medical 

clearance was an appropriate course of action. 

Where Commissioner Hampton started to find issues 

with the employer’s process was during a phone call 

made by the employer’s venue manager, Mr Josh 

Callery, to Mrs Shears on 9 September 2017. 

Mrs Shears claimed that the discussion during this 

phone call involved Mr Callery telling her she was being 

let go “due to always being sick and or my child being 

sick” and that she “now will have more time to be a 

mum”. 

Mr Callery disputed this version of events given by Mrs 

Shears. He provided a written document to the FWC 

explaining the context of why he called Mrs Shears on 

this day, as well as his version of what was said during 

the phone call. 

Mr Callery had noted in this document that the amount 

of time Mrs Shears was having off from work due to 

illness was having an impact on other employees. As 

venue manager he felt he had to make the decision to 

take Mrs Shears off the roster, in the best interests of 

Mrs Shears’ health, other staff and customers. 

Mr Callery explained in the document he told Mrs 

Shears several things during the phone call, including: 

• she was not dismissed, but that “there won’t be 

any hours at the moment” for her, because she 

needed to take care of her health, and because 

the tavern could not also give her any hours 

around her restricted availability, which was due 

to her running her own business. (She ran a 

hairdressing business during the day, but had 

regularly been receiving evening shifts); 

• the tavern had been receiving complaints from 

customers about her attitude and manner, “so 

it was best for all involved that she resolve her 

personal issues”; 

• once she was feeling better, he could meet 

with her to “go over these issues of reliability 

and availability and performance with a view 

[emphasis added] to putting her back in [sic] the 

roster”. 

A few days after the 9 September phone call, Mrs 

Shears lodged an unfair dismissal application.

Sarah Tilby 

EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS 

Ultimately, Commissioner Hampton preferred the 

version of events given by Mr Callery as to what was 

said in the phone call. However, whilst Mr Callery may 

have told Mrs Shears that she had not been dismissed 

–the phone call was still found to have resulted in 

the termination of Mrs Shears’s employment for the 

purposes of the Fair Work Act 2009. Mrs Shears 

was considered a “regular and systematic” casual 

employee who was eligible to make an unfair dismissal 

application. 

In relation to the phone call, Commissioner Hampton 

noted that it constituted a dismissal given that: 

[i]n all of the circumstances, [the phone call] 

objectively meant that there were no scheduled 

future hours on the roster and there was no 

reliable indication that there would be such work 

made available to Mrs Shears; only the promise 

of a discussion and a possibility of future work... 

… the provision of the medical clearance, 

which was itself reasonable, was not the only 

precondition to a return to rostered work. Rather, 

there was also going to be a decision made by 

management about whether there was to be any 

future employment having regard to reliability, 

availability and performance concerns. 

As the phone call constituted a dismissal, 

Commissioner Hampton in his decision then went 

on to find that Mrs Shears was unfairly dismissed, 

awarding compensation. 

WHAT DOES THIS DECISION 

MEAN FOR EMPLOYERS? 

This case provides an answer to the question of 

whether a casual can be taken off the roster at any 

time without any risk of a claim – the answer is no! 

Here, the tavern got into hot water because they 

AS THE PHONE CALL CONSTITUTED A DISMISSAL, 

COMMISSIONER HAMPTON IN HIS DECISION 

THEN WENT ON TO FIND THAT MRS SHEARS 

WAS UNFAIRLY DISMISSED, AWARDING 

COMPENSATION. 

went beyond telling Mrs Shears that she needed a 

medical clearance prior to being able to return to work. 

They told her they could meet with her when she 

was better to discuss a range of other performance 

issues, “with a view” to putting her back on the roster. 

These performance issues could have been dealt with 

via performance management, after the employee 

returned to work with a medical clearance. When in 

doubt, employers should seek advice prior to ceasing 

a casual employee’s shifts (or dramatically reducing 

their shifts), particularly if the employee has been 

receiving shifts on a regular basis. 

FURTHER INFORMATION 

Financial QHA members seeking more information or 

wishing to discuss a specific matter related to how 

the team can assist are encouraged to contact the 

Employment Relations Department for a confidential 

discussion. 

Non QHA members can also obtain advice and 

assistance from the team for a nominal consultancy 

fee. Contact the QHA Employment Relations 

Department on 3221 6999 or via email 

ater@qha.org.au. 


COMPASS 

GOLD AND ITS GHOSTS 

NOWHERE ELSE DOES GOLD MINING’S PAST MEET ITS PRESENT LIKE 

RAVENSWOOD 90 KM SOUTH OF TOWNSVILLE. 


Just a couple of hundred metres behind the town of 

around 200, an open cut mine yawns wider than a 

racecourse as trucks and excavators rumble in its 

throat loading ores bound for adjacent processing 

facilities. Successful extraction of the mine’s Sarsfield, 

Nolans East and Buck Reef deposits has fluctuated 

since opening in 1987 and almost came to a standstill 

in 2016 when owners Resolute Mining Limited cast 

doubts over its future feasibility. But as so often 

happens in the industry, the use of increasingly 

sophisticated detection techniques indicated more 

minerals lay deeper down, extending the mine’s life 

expectancy by 13 years. 

To say the town has had uneven mining fortunes 

over the decades would be an understatement. 

Gold was discovered in the area by pastoralists in 

1868. Alluvial deposits uncovered near the present 

site of Ravenswood sparked a rush of prospectors 

and fossickers a year later. Keen to get in on the act, 

the government even graced the town with an ore 

crushing mill in 1870. 

But by 1872, with all the easy pickings extracted, 

most mining interests left town having been lured by 

more lucrative prospects in Charters Towers. A few 

persistent diggers stayed on and were buoyed briefly 

by the additional discovery of silver which prompted

Wikimedia Commons: Lobster 1 


an extension of the Townsville-Charters Towers railway 

line from Cunningham (now Mingela) to Ravenswood 

in 1884. Then a downturn in the 1890s threatened 

the town’s mining industry again before it was revived 

at the turn of the century by the New Ravenswood 

Company backed by wealthy British investors. 

Between 1900 and 1912 the company’s operations 

prospered, the town’s population hit an all-time high of 

4,700 and 12,500 kg of gold was banked. 

However, by 1917 the combination of a long-running 

industrial dispute between the company and its 

workers and the expense of extracting increasingly 

inaccessible ores forced the venture into liquidation 

marking the end of the boom. 

Ravenswood’s opulent gold mining legacy has left 

behind some grand architecture that earned the town 

an Australian Heritage classification in the 1980s. 

Today tourism crosses paths with mining as people 

make the trip to see the town’s historic courthouse, 

church, store and two magnificent hotels. Both of 

which are still open and members of the QHA. 

Wikimedia Commons: Lobster 1

COMPASS 


IMPERIAL HOTEL 


Built by hotelier James Delaney in 1902, the multicoloured 

brick construction of the Imperial Hotel stands 

out among the town’s sparse dwellings, sheds and old 

industrial chimneys like a venerable over-dressed visitor. 

But as one of the town’s oldest residents, it draws in a 

steady stream of visitors of its own. 

If the exterior isn’t eye-catching enough, inside is 

one of the most amazingly preserved Edwardian era 

hotels in the country. The building retains almost all 

of its original fabric and the interior layout along with 

furniture, fittings and minor items of hotel equipment 

that the Delaney family carefully preserved over most 

of the twentieth century. The ground floor contains the 

bars, dining room and furniture and fittings, a nicely 

modernised billiard room and table, kitchen, store 

rooms and office. Bedrooms, bathroom facilities and 

verandas with cast iron balustrading rule the roost 

upstairs. 

The “Impy” has been owned for the last 18 years by 

John and Dianne Schluter who moved there from 

Mareeba where John taught maths and Dianne 

worked in pharmacy. 

“Retiring here to meet so many different people with so 

many stories has been great,” John says. 

In addition to the hotel’s history and grandeur, he’s 

noticed many visitors have been drawn by its notorious 

paranormal activity – particularly in room 12A.

COMPASS 

Photo: Len Zell 

“A lot of paranormals visit with often very sophisticated 

equipment for photos or unusual phenomena. One 

group visits twice a year. Some happy snappers would 

have repetitive strain injury from their efforts. We have 

seen a couple of photos with unexplained images.” 

Whether John and Dianne actually believe their visiting 

ghost hunters have communed with inter-dimensional 

guests yet to completely checkout is unclear. 

“The main thing is that they love what they’re doing,” 

John says. 

THE BUILDING RETAINS ALMOST ALL OF ITS ORIGINAL FABRIC AND THE INTERIOR LAYOUT ALONG 

WITH FURNITURE, FITTINGS AND MINOR ITEMS OF HOTEL EQUIPMENT THAT THE DELANEY FAMILY 

CAREFULLY PRESERVED OVER MOST OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. 


COMPASS 

RAILWAY HOTEL 

The railway line that prompted the construction of 

the pub no longer exists, but the pub still does. Like 

its twin the Imperial Hotel, the Railway Hotel has 

stood proudly in the town since 1902 and is made of 

locally made brick. It’s popular with visitors as much 

for its historic splendour as for its cold beer, steak 

sandwiches and warm hospitality. 

Recently under new ownership, the Railway has also 

seen its fair share of changes over the years. In 1988 

it underwent extensive renovation. The verandas were 

repaired, the building was painted, a hydraulic lift was 

installed to bring supplies from an old cellar below the 

footpath, and the front of the old bar was incorporated 

into a new bar. Furniture throughout the building was 

restored and the bedrooms were furnished. Further 

work was done on the building when a grant was 

made by the Department of Environment in 1996 to 

allow brick piers to be repaired. 

However, encounters with ghosts seem comparatively 

rare down this end of the street. 


COMPASS 

HAVE CASUAL OR 

PART TIME STAFF? 

GET THE RIGHT CONTRACTS WITH THE HR MANUAL NOW UPDATED 

FOR 1 JANUARY 2018 CHANGES TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY 

(GENERAL) AWARD 2010 

The QHA HR Manual helps you organise every challenge 

of managing a team of staff. 

The manual is regularly updated and includes comprehensive human 

resources policies and helpful templates for everything from job 

descriptions, appointment letters, discipline and termination 

letters, policy and procedure templates, timesheets, employer and 

employee forms and much, much more. 

The recently revised edition 

is available through the online 

QHA Shop at www.qha.org.au 

$365 for members. 

$765 for non-members. 


ACCOMMODATION 

GOLD COAST HOTELS HAVE A RECORD BREAKING START 


According to the STR Destination Report (STR is 

a source for premium global data benchmarking, 

analytics and marketplace insights), hotel occupancy 

on the Gold Coast rose to 83.4% in January, up 

2.9% from the same time last year. Revenue-peravailable-room 

(RevPAR) was $200.90 per night 

and the average daily rate (based on all rooms) was 

$240.90, both higher than state capitals.The region’s 

accommodation industry reported it to be one of the 

best-ever starts to a year. 

Gold Coast tourism CEO Martin Winter had this to 

say recently, “Many of our industry members are 

telling us they have experienced one of their busiest 

summers ever, so the figures seem to be painting a 

similar picture. What is very encouraging is that the 

Gold Coast has outperformed most other destinations 

in terms of occupancy and room rate. It shows the 

appeal of the destination and the hard work and 

energy of our industry.” 

With the Gold Coast gearing up to host the 

Commonwealth Games this April, the records will 

hopefully continue to fall. The games are predicted to 

deliver an economic boost of “$2 billion.”

ACCOMMODATION 

HELLO DARLING 

After three years in the making, The Star Gold Coast’s 

luxe new hotel, ‘The Darling’, will officially open near 

the time you receive this edition of the QHA Review. 

Located at the front of the Broadbeach Island property, 

the lavish new 17-storey hotel forms the centrepiece of 

The Star Gold Coast’s landmark transformation. 

The Darling is luxury accommodation unparalleled here 

in Queensland with each level of the building featuring 

just seven suites and a northern Penthouse Suite, 

southern Penthouse Deluxe Suite, world-class gaming 

amenities as well as a breathtaking rooftop restaurant 

and bar called Nineteen at The Star. This amazingly 

wraps around a gravity-defying infinity pool. 

In addition to luxury finishes, furniture, and decor, 

guests will also enjoy state-of-the-art in-room 

technology with smart TVs, a fully-integrated Bose 

sound system, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, USB 

ports and revolutionary “zone control” that allows 

guests to customise lighting, temperature, and service 

preferences. 

It is described by Star Entertainment Group Managing 

Director Queensland Geoff Hogg as having a “standard 

of luxury the Gold Coast has yet to experience”. He 

also revealed future guests will soon be able to book 

online for their stay. 


ACCOMMODATION UPDATE 

with Judy Hill 

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!! 

THE GOLD COAST 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES (GC2018) ARE NEARLY HERE. 


The Commonwealth is an association of independent 

sovereign states spread over every continent. With two 

billion people in the Commonwealth, these nations and 

territories make up 30% of the world’s population. 

The Commonwealth Games is a world-class sporting 

event, held once every four years. Participants at the 

Games come from 71 nations and territories which are 

grouped into regions: Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, 

Americas and the Caribbean. The Commonwealth 

Games are often referred to as the ‘Friendly Games’. 

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) is the 

organisation responsible for the direction and control 

of the Commonwealth Games brand and will oversee 

the delivery of GC2018. Working with Government and 

Games partners, the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth 

Games Corporation (GOLDOC) has been established 

to plan, organise and deliver GC2018. 

This exciting time will see 11 days of world class 

competition from 4-15 April 2018 right on the SE 

Queensland doorstep. The Games will comprise 

approximately 6,500 athletes and team officials, 

1,000 technical officials, 1,000 paid workforce, 

15,000 volunteers, 1.5 million tickets and live 

broadcast coverage of 1,000 hours to a global 

audience of 1.5 billion people. 

Support and involvement from the community is 

essential in making GC2018 an international success. 

This will bring challenges to the roads and may bring 

temporary inconveniences to your daily life. However 

these games will offer the community more than a 

legacy of bricks and mortar, but great memories and 

opportunities for future generations.The best way to 

stay informed regarding what is happening in your area 

is to regularly visit www.getsetforthegames.com 

During GC2018, there will be daily changes to the 

transport network that will affect your business and 

the way that you operate. Understanding how your 

business will be affected is vital so you can plan ahead 

and make changes to: staff and business related 

travel, freight, servicing and deliveries and customer 

and visitor travel. 

I encourage you to join the Get Set for the Games 

Travel Advice for Business Program to ensure you have 

access to the right support and information to help you 

with your Games time travel planning. 

Let this event be a great Games providing spectators 

with a spectacle of international sporting excellence.

ACCOMMODATION UPDATE 

TACKLING ONLINE GIANTS MUST BE A PRIORITY 

The accommodation industry is calling on the 

competition regulator to prioritise addressing the 

Expedia-Priceline online travel agency duopoly which 

is crippling hotels, motels and operators of other 

accommodation businesses across Australia. 

Accommodation Association of Australia Chief 

Executive Officer Richard Munro said he was 

disappointed that a speech given by the Chairman of 

the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission 

(ACCC) outlining where the ACCC will focus its efforts 

in 2018 barely mentioned the tourism/travel industry. 

“The ACCC doesn’t think that two offshore online 

giants who command in excess of 80 per cent of 

all online accommodation bookings in Australia is 

a competition policy challenge which needs to be 

addressed quickly,” he said. 

“That’s despite the soaring commissions being 

charged by online travel agencies and the ‘bully-boy’ 

tactics they use when dealing with accommodation 

businesses, many of whom are ‘mum-and-dad’ 

operators based in regional and remote parts of 

Australia. 

“At a Parliamentary inquiry public hearing in Canberra 

last week, the pace the ACCC works at was compared 

to molasses – and the accommodation industry is 

starting to understand why. 

“An active investigation by the ACCC into the 

behaviour of these offshore online giants has been 

going for years and the longer it goes, the worse off 

consumers will be. 

“The likes of Expedia and Priceline pay little or no tax in 

Australia and employ very few staff in Australia. 

“By contrast, the accommodation industry employs 

82,800 people and pays millions, if not billions of 

dollars in taxes in Australia. 

“The Accommodation Association is calling on the 

ACCC to take tangible steps to break up the damaging 

Expedia-Priceline duopoly. 

“In the name of transparency and fairness – especially 

to consumers – our industry would also like to see the 

ACCC make public all agreements it has made with 

Expedia and Priceline,” he said. 



TOP DROP 

1977 RARE COLLECTION 

CASK NO. 15176 

Glenfiddich 

GHOST AND RARE 

Johnny 

Walker 

THE CHITA 

Suntory 

Whisky 

FARMERS CHOICE 

GUERNSEY MILK 

Maleny Dairies 


This 40-year-old 

single cask whisky will 

be available to retail 

customers travelling 

through Sydney airport 

with just 150 bottles 

available and a RRP 

of $4,352. As you can 

gather we haven’t tried 

it, (the QHA budget only 

goes so far), but given it 

comes from Glenfiddich 

and is aged to this extent, 

you can be assured 

it is an amazing drop. 

Apparently it has the rich 

fruity notes you would 

generally hope to get from 

a Speyside, and with it 

being aged in American 

Oak, it hasn’t been overly 

dominated by the oak 

and still has got a lot of 

sweetness. 

The expression 

predominantly features 

whisky from the Brora 

Highland distillery, which 

closed its doors in 1983, 

in addition to whiskies 

from two other ghost 

distilleries in Cambus 

and Pittyvaich. Other 

whiskies in the blend 

are rare expressions of 

malt and grains from 

the existing distilleries of 

Cameronbridge, Royal 

Lochnagar, Glenkinchie, 

Glenlossie and Clynelish. 

Together they bring a 

light peatiness, maritime 

influence and a subtle 

waxy sweetness to a rich, 

velvety and sophisticated 

blend. 

A single grain whisky 

that features a light and 

delicately sweet fragrance 

described as having 

“honey and crème brûlée 

aromas”. This is their main 

expression - a whisky 

matured in a combination 

of sherry, bourbon and 

wine casks. There are 

subtle notes of mint, 

honey and wood spice. 

White Russian, Tiger’s 

Milk, Egg-Nog… there are 

so many cocktails with 

milk as a key ingredient. 

With that said, milk is 

said to be one of the 

most difficult ingredients 

to work with. So if you’re 

charging a premium for 

your cocktails, it pays 

to use the best. Maleny 

Dairies Gold Top Farmers 

Choice Guernsey Milk 

was recently voted the 

best milk in Australia at 

the Australian Grand Dairy 

Awards for the second 

year running. If you are 

a proud Queenslander 

and like supporting small 

independents, we suggest 

you give it a try.

TOP DROP 

COMMONWEALTH 

GAMES 

COMMEMORATIVE CAN 

XXXX Gold 

BIG EYE 

IPA 

Ballast 

Point 

MORNINGTON 

LAGER 

Mornington 

Peninsula Brewery 

HAZY ONE PALE 

LAGER 

Byron Bay 

Brewery 

XXXX Gold Is releasing a 

series of limited edition 

commemorative cans to 

celebrate the Gold Coast 

2018 Commonwealth 

Games (GC2018). The 

cans will feature three 

of the GC2018 events 

– cycling, sprinting and 

swimming – as well 

as a can celebrating 

the return of the 

Games to Queensland. 

Queenslanders will have 

the opportunity to grab 

their limited edition cans, 

by purchasing specially 

marked cartons of XXXX 

GOLD. 

Said to be the beer that 

helped put San Diego 

IPA’s on the map. We are 

not surprised... well aside 

from our initial perception. 

Found in a Dan Murphy’s 

discount box, our 

expectations weren’t 

high but we soon found 

out how far off the mark 

we were. A big hop, big 

flavour IPA thanks to the 

abundance of American 

Columbus and Centennial 

varieties that provides its 

signature bitterness whilst 

still remaining beautifully 

balanced. This beer is 

incredible. 

An absolutely beautiful 

beer. It positively 

reminded us of how good 

a good lager can be. We 

admittedly have been on 

the IPA bandwagon of 

late but this reminded us 

that lagers need not be 

boring. An exceptionally 

clean, fresh taste and very 

smooth. Sure to impress 

no matter what kind of 

beer you prefer. 

Not quite a regular lager 

and not quite a pale 

lager. Interesting but 

enjoyable nonetheless. 

It’s kind of like a slightly 

citrusy tasting pale lager 

that’s easy drinking, 

uncomplicated and light. 

Refreshes your mouth 

with a clean crisp flavour. 


WINE with John Rozentals 

Clive Jones. 

His Paper 

Nautilus 

is the real 

deal. 

A SCRUMMY NEW RED 

No other wine seems to ride such a precarious bow 

wave of success on the Australian market as does 

sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region, at the 

north-eastern end of the South Island. 

It’s fairly easy to see why it overtook chardonnay as 

Australia’s single-biggest wine three or four years ago. 

Drinkers are confident with it. They stick their nose 

into a glass and know straight away what they’ve got, 

just from the unmistakable herbaceous, tropical-fruit 

aroma, which some have rather ungraciously likened 

to cats’ pee. 

Much of the wine seems to come from overcropped 

vineyards and lacks the palate structure to satisfy the 

second-glass test for many drinkers, including this one. 

Let alone a third-glass test! 

A few vintages ago, Nautilus Estate winemaker, Clive 

Jones, determined to do something about the situation, 

making a 2015 The Paper Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc, a 

wine styled more like a chardonnay and very dependent 

on barrel-fermentation and maturation on yeast lees. 

Personally, I applauded the attempt, but thought that 

Jones had gotten off at Redfern. He just hadn’t quite 

gone through with the job and left me wondering what 

might have been. 

With the 2016 vintage he repeated the exercise, this 

time, I think, doing it properly. His 2016 The Paper 

Nautilus is the real deal (see tasting notes below) and 

I reckon joins the ranks of Cloudy Bay’s Te Koko in 

having broken the mould of Marlborough sauvignon 

and presenting a much needed new face to the variety 

—one which will see it beyond the cult, but possibly 

ephemeral, following it now has. 

The name, incidentally, comes from an octopus-like 

cephalopod also known as an argonaut, which isn’t 

really a nautilus at all. The female builds a papery 

nautilus-like shell to live in while her eggs hatch. 

TOP SHELF with John Rozentals 

THE PAPER NAUTILUS 2016 

Marlborough Sauvignon 

Blanc ($35) 

NAUTILUS 2017 


Blanc ($28) 

TWIN ISLANDS 2017 


Blanc ($18) 


A gloriously complex dry white, 

showing an unmistakable 

sauvignon blanc edge to 

the aroma but having so 

much more as well — and 

particularly pleasing depth on 

the palate. I like the nuttiness 

on the aroma, which I presume 

comes from maturation on 

yeast lees. Jones suggests 

matching with oysters dressed 

with chilli and lime. I’m not 

disagreeing. Yum! 

Loads of passionfruit 

here and good palate 

weight from use of fully 

ripe, judiciously cropped 

grapes. Just a tad (about 

2 per cent) of the fruit 

was given the Paper 

Nautilus treatment and 

fermented on barrel. If 

you’re going to drink 

Marlborough savvy, 

I’d certainly 

recommend this. 

Much more in 

the conventional 

Marlborough savvy style 

— and more towards its 

usual price-point — but 

at least it seems to be 

made from genuinely 

ripe fruit. No real 

complexity, but citrusy 

and pungent, with a 

racy finish.

Paul St John-Wood 

PUBTALK 

KICK OFF 

The 2018 Super Rugby, NRL and AFL seasons are 

now underway, as are hundreds of tipping competitions 

being run in our pubs across the state. Best of luck 

with your footy promotions throughout the season. 

If you require assistance with clarifying rules around 

incentives and advertising please contact the QHA. 

It was great to see many familiar faces, and to 

meet new hoteliers, at the AHG Expo in Brisbane in 

early March. I hope you were all able to take away 

valuable insights and ideas to implement in your 

business. Large exhibitions of this nature can often 

be a whirlwind for attendees, particularly with all of 

the bright lights and big sounds of gaming hardware. 

If you missed any contacts or would like any further 

information on any of the products or services please 

contact me directly and I will be happy to put you in 

touch with the appropriate corporate partners. 

PUBS, POTS AND PROFITS – TOWNSVILLE 

For the first time in Queensland, CUB together with 

the QHA will be hosting the Pubs, Pots & Profits forum 

for hoteliers and key staff from around the Townsville 

region. The forum will feature presentations from 

leading experts in the industry, focusing on business 

development initiatives for your hotel. The event will 

be held at the Sun Hotel, Mundingburra on Tuesday 

20 March from 10am to 2pm. Morning tea and a 

networking lunch will be included, thanks to PFD Food 

Services. To register attendance for this FREE event 

simply contact the QHA. 

GOLD COAST HOTELIERS BREAKFAST 

Thank you to the hoteliers who attended the QHA 

Gold Coast Hoteliers Breakfast held at the Robina 

Tavern in February. The feedback from the event has 

been positive with guests enjoying presentations 

from representatives of the Commonwealth Games, 

OLGR and industry partners. PFD Food Services 

again showcased the quality fresh produce they 

have available to all licenced venues right across the 

state and special thanks must go to Tom McGregor, 

Stephanie Carlsson and the Gold Coast PFD Team. 

Thank you again to Barry Fitzgibbons and Damien 

Stephen for their efforts in hosting the breakfast. 

We wish all Gold Coast hotels every success in trade 

throughout the Commonwealth Games event in April! 


TRADE DIRECTORY 

CASINO CONSOLES 

Footrest, slimline and cashless bases 

available. Casino Consoles, the only 

name you need when it comes to 

professional poker machine bases 

and screening. 

P: 07 3890 2969 

www.casinoconsoles.com.au 

COMMERCIAL FITOUTS 

Bars, Clubs, Cafes, Restaurants. 

Specialists in unique and premium 

nationwide commercial fit-outs for 

clubs, bars, cafes and restaurants. 

P: 1300 426 637 (1300 HAMMER) 

E: sales@clubbarconcepts.com.au 

www.clubbarconcepts.com.au 

SCIENTIFIC GAMES 

This new generation of exciting game 

content draws on the strength of 

Scientific Games to create one of 

the most dynamic game libraries 

in the market. 

P: 07 3458 9180 

www.sggaming.com/australia 

REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS 

Time to upgrade your beverage and refrigeration systems? 

Call us for expert advice and all your requirements including: 

Quality beer dispensing equipment | Ice machines | 

Refrigeration | Custom solutions for all venue sizes | AS5034 

Compliancing | Sales, Installation, 24/7 Service. 

Phone: 07 3422 0011 www.allsocool.com.au 

BEER DISPENSING SYSTEMS - Sales - Service - Installation 

Refrigeration | Glycol Equipment | Beer Gas Equipment 

| Beerline Cleaning | Electronic Spirit Dispensers | 24/7 

Maintenance, Servicing and Repairs. Australia’s largest 

manufacturer, installer and suppler to beer dispensing 

equipment. Proudly Australian Owned and Operated. 

5 Holden Street, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102 

Phone: 07 3421 5200 www.andale.com.au 


PRESTIGE GAMING STOOLS 

Comfort at Play 

Karo Australia Pty Ltd 

P: 02 9980 1431 

E: info@karo.com.au 

www.karo.com.au 

DOWNTOWN DOMESTICS 

Too busy to get domestic? 

Window cleaning | Building washing 

Housekeeping | Carpet / Upholstery 

Cleaning | Bond / Spring cleaning | 

Emergency cleaning | Pest control. 

P: 1300 386 963 

www.downtowndomestics.com 

CITY PROPERTY SERVICES 

Over 25 years of commercial cleaning 

services | Compliant with ISA 9001 

| Quality assurance | EcoClean 

Certified using environmentally 

friendly products | Free quotations. 

P: 07 3391 2005 

www.citypropertyservices.com

TRADE DIRECTORY 

PROUD PLATINUM PARTNERS OF THE QHA. 

COMPLETE FACILITY MANAGEMENT SPECIALISTS 

Brisbane | Gladstone | Gold Coast | Sunshine Coast | 

Mackay | Toowoomba | Townsville | Wide Bay. Hospitality 

cleaning specialist, Hotel refurbishments, Lawns & ground 

maintenance, Property & asset management, High pressure 

cleaning/ non slip solution specialists. 

P: 1800 262 637 

www.cmbm.com.au 

GLASS RECYCLING MANAGEMENT 

Save time, space, money, people and the environment. 

Reduce bottle noise inside and outside your venue. Improve 

workplace health and safety. Reduce space needed for glass 

waste bins. Save money on your current waste charges 

Free trial call 1300 306 039 E: info@bottlecycler.com 

www.bottlecycler.com 

INTEGRATED POS SOLUTIONS 

As used by Award Winning Hotels. New Compact 

10” Touch Screens available. 10” & 15” Hotel and Bar 

POS Solutions. 

P: 1300 BIZSTAR 1300 249 782 

E: reg@bizstar.com.au 

www.uniwell.net.au to find out more. 

MARKET LEADING BRANDS IN EQUIPMENT 

No matter the size, shape or demands placed on your 

business, we have the ability to deliver equipment that is 

functional, adaptable and reliable. Convotherm, Waldorf, 

Waldorf Bold, Turbofan, Washtech. 

Phone: 1800 023 953 E: info@moffat.com.au 

Service department: 1800 622 216 

ADVERTISING & PROMOTION 

For more information on advertising and promoting 

your business in the QHA REVIEW contact 

qhareview@qha.org.au 


QHA PARTNERS & CORPORATE MEMBERS 

QHA PARTNERS AND CORPORATE MEMBERS ARE VALUED PREFERRED SUPPLIERS TO THE QUEENSLAND HOTEL INDUSTRY. 

THE BUSINESSES LISTED IN THIS DIRECTORY ARE KEEN SUPPORTERS OF HOTELS IN QUEENSLAND AND THE QHA ENCOURAGES 

MEMBER HOTELS TO UTILISE THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. IF A BUSINESS WISHES TO FIND OUT HOW TO BECOME A QHA 

PARTNER OR CORPORATE MEMBER, PLEASE CALL DAMIAN STEELE, QHA INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER ON (07) 3221 6999. 


ACCOUNTING/ TAX 

Hanrick Curran 

Accountants & Strategists 

Ph: 07 3218 3900 

www.hanrickcurran. 

com.au 

HLB Mann Judd - 

Chartered Accountants 

Ph: 07 3001 8800 

www.hlb.com.au 

Prosperity Advisers QLD 

Ph: 07 3007 1971 

www.prosperityadvisers. 

com.au 

FTI Consulting 

Ph: 07 3225 4900 

www.fticonsulting.com 

McGrathNicol 

Ph: 07 3333 9800 

www.mcgrathnicol.com 

PJT Accountants & 

Business Advisors 

Ph: 07 5413 9300 

www.pjtaccountants.com.au 

Professional Client Services 

(QLD) P/L- Accountants & 

Business Advisors 

Ph: 07 3209 4452 

www.pcsqld.com.au 

Sage Software Australia 

Ph: 02 9884 4000 

www.sage.com.au 

ARCHITECTS / 

REFURBISHMENT/ 

RECONSTRUCTION / 

REPAIRS 

Brand & Slater 

Architects P/L 

Ph: 07 3252 8899 

www.brandandslater. 

com.au 

Paynter Dixon - Design & 

Construction 

Ph: 07 3368 5500 

www.paynter.com.au 

Rohrig Hospitality 

Ph: 07 3257 4411 

www.rohrlg.com.au 

Club Bar Concepts 

Ph: 1300 426 637 

clubbarconcepts.com.au 

Darren S Dickfos Architects 

Ph: 07 3358 1786 

www.ddarchitects.com.au 

Hot Concepts Design and 

Construction 

Ph: 07 3277 7740 

www.hotconcepts.com.au 

New Life Restorations 

Ph: 1300 356 633 

www.newliferestorations. 

com.au 

Unita Group 

Ph: 1300 659 399 

www.unita.com.au 

BEVERAGES 

Accolade Wines 

Ph: 07 3252 7933 

www.accolade-wines. 

com 

Asahi Premium 

Beverages 

Ph: 07 3868 2388 

www.schweppes.com.au 

Brown-Forman 

Australia P/L 

Ph: 07 3010 2000 

www.brown-forman.com 

Carlton & United 

Breweries 

Ph: 07 3666 4104 

www.cub.com.au 

Coca-Cola Amatil 

Ph: 13 26 53 

www.ccamatil.com 

Diageo 

Ph: 07 3257 0800 

www.diageo.com 

Lion 

Ph: 07 3361 7400 

www.lionco.com 

Red Bull Australia 

Ph: 02 9023 2892 

www.redbull.com.au 

Samuel Smith & Son 

Ph: 07 3373 5777 

www.samsmith.com 

Sirromet Wines 

Ph: 07 3206 2999 

www.sirromet.com 

Treasury Wine Estates 

Ph: 03 9685 8000 

treasurywineestates.com 

Liquor Marketing Group 

Ph: 07 3246 5272 

www.bottlemart.com.au 

EDUCATION, TRAINING 

& EMPLOYMENT 

Best Security - Security 

and Training 

Ph: 07 3212 8460 

www.bestsecurlty.net.au 

Australian Fire Protection 

Ph: 1300 803 473 

www.austfirepro.com.au 

Availio 

Ph: 07 3218 3900 

www.hanrickcurran.com.au 

Foundation Education 

Ph: 1300 130 157 

foundationeducation.com.au 

Frontier Leadership 

Ph: 0423 097 246 

www.frontierleadership.edu.au 

Industry Graduates 

Ph: 1300 038 000 

www.industrygraduates.com 

Nystrom Relief Managers 

Ph: 0487 205 285 

www.nystromreliefmanagers. 

com.au 

Professional Hospitality 

Ph: 07 3160 8132 

professionalhospitality.com.au 

Sidekicker 

Ph: 1300 098 375 

www.sidekicker.com.au 

St John Ambulance Australia 

Ph: 07 3253 0552 

www.stjohnqld.com.au 

ENERGY GAS/POWER 

TransTasman 

Energy Group 

Ph: 1300 118 834 

www.tteg.com.au 

Eco Synergy Systems 

Ph: 0429 820 101 

www.ecosynergysystems. 

com.au 

Bromic Heating 

02 9426 5222 

www.bromicheating.com 

Choice Energy 

Ph: 03 9002 5123 

www.choiceenergy.com.au 

ELGAS 

Ph: 131161 

www.elgas.com.au 

Leading Edge Energy 

Ph: 1300 852 770 

www.leadingedgeenergy. 

com.au 

Make It Cheaper 

Ph: 1300 957 721 

www.makeitcheaper.com.au 

FINANCES, BANKING, 

INSURANCE & 

INVESTMENTS 

AON Risk Services - 

QHA Insurance Brokers 

Ph: 07 3223 7512 

www.aon.com.au 

Green Finance Group 

Ph: 0457 883 700 

www.greenfinancegroup. 

com.au 

GSA Insurance Broker 

Ph: 02 8274 8138 

www.gsaib.com.au 

Hanrick Curran – 

Chartered Accountants 

Ph: 07 3218 3900 

hanrickcurran.com.au 

St. George Corporate & 

Business Bank 

Ph: 07 3232 8911 

www.stgeorge.com.au/ 

corporate-business 

Westpac Banking 

Corporation 

Ph: 07 3350 7750 

www.westpac.com.au 

Ausure Insurance Brokers 

SEQ 

Ph: 1300 450 663 

www.ausureseq.com.au 

Banktech 

Ph: 1800 080 910 

www.banktech.com.au 

BUPA - health insurance 

Ph: 134135 

(quote ID 2109197) 

www.bupa.com.au 

Integrity Corporate Finance 

Ph: 02 9268 3088 

.integrityfinancegroup.com.au 

Silverchef 

Ph: 07 3335 3392 

www.silverchef.com.au 

FOOD & ASSOCIATED 

BUSINESSES 

PFD Food Services 

Ph: 07 3906 9726 

www.pfdfoods.com.au 

Bitesize Coffee Treats 

Ph: 02 9723 6500 

www.bitesizecoffeetreats.com 

GAMING AND RACING 

Ainsworth Game 

Technology P/L 

Ph: 07 3209 6210 

www.ainsworth.com.au 

Aristocrat Leisure 

Industries 

Ph: 07 3727 1600 

www.aristocrat.com.au 

IGT 

Ph: 07 3890 5622 

www.igt.com.au 

Konami Australia 

Ph: 02 9666 3111 

www.konamiaustralia.com.au 

Max Queensland 

Ph: 07 3637 1235 

www.maxgaming.com.au 

Scientific Gaming 

Ph: 02 9773 0299 

www.scientiflcgames.com 

Tabcorp Keno 

Ph: 07 3243 4113 

www.tabcorp.com.au 

UBET 

Ph: 07 3637 1370 

www.ubet.com


Australian Pokie Consoles 

Ph: 0413 261 777 

www.clubsandpubs.com.au 

Bytecraft Systems - 

Gaming Machine Service 

Ph: 07 3456 3345 

www.bytecraft.com.au 

Karo - gaming stools 

Ph: 02 9980 1431 

www.karo.com.au 

HOSPITALITY 

CONSULTANTS 

AHS Hospitality 

Ph: 07 5512 6143 

www.ahshospitality.com.au 

Commercial Licensing 

Specialists 

Ph: 07 5526 0112 

www.clslicensing.com.au 

DWS Hospitality 

Specialists 

Ph: 07 3878 9355 

www.dws.net 

Graham Brown - Liquor 

& Gaming Licences 

Ph: 07 3300 1578 

Professional Hospitality 

Ph: 07 3160 8132 

www.professionalhospitality. 

com.au 

HOTEL & BAR SUPPLIES 

BOC Limited -Gas/ 

Reticulation Supply 

Ph: 07 3212 4322 

www.boc.com.au 

Andale Beverage Systems 

Ph: 07 3421 5200 

www.andale.com.au 

Base Interior Solutions 

Ph: 0435 934 948 

www.baseintsolutions.com 

Ausworld Commercial 

Furniture & Design 

Ph: 0409 264 212 

www.ausworldfurniture.com.au 

Hunter Technologies 

Ph: 1300 693 357t 

www.cellarcontrol.com.au 

HOTEL BROKERS / 

REAL ESTATE / 

PROPERTY VALUERS 

Power Jeffrey & Co - 

Hotel Brokers 

Ph: 07 3832 6000 

www.powerjeffrey.com.au 

CRE Brokers 

Ph: 07 5371 0165 

www.crebrokers.com 

The Lido Group 

0423 695 703 

www.lido.com.au 

QHA PLATINUM PARTNERS 

QHA DIAMOND PARTNERS 

QHA GOLD PARTNERS 

Silverchef 

Ph: 07 3335 3392 

www.silverchef.com.au 

CBRE Hotels 

Ph: 0418 886 525 

www.cbrehotels.com 

HOTEL ENTERTAINMENT 

Fox Sports 

Ph: 0403 061 412 

www.foxsports.com.au 

Foxtel for Business 

Ph: 1300 720 630 

www.austar.com.au 

Sky Channel 

Ph: 07 3228 6344 

Freecall: 1800 251 710 

www.skychannel.com.au 

Nightlife - Music & Video 

Freecall: 1800 679 748 

www.nightlife.com.au 

Pro Score - Sporting 

Promotions 

Ph: 0431 366 800 

www.proscore.com.au 

Recharge DJs - Brisbane 

Ph: 1300 836 832 

www.rechargedjs.com 

Knight Frank Australia 

Ph: 07 3246 8888 

www.knightfrank.com.au 

Knight Frank Valuations 

Ph: 07 3193 6800 

www.knightfrank.com.au 

Landmark White 

Ph: 07 3226 0002 

www.landmarkwhite.com.au 

MVS National Mackay 

Whitsundays 

Ph: 07 4847 0737 

www.mvsvaluers.com.au 

Ray White Hotels 

Ph: 02 8016 3810 

www.raywhite.com.au 

LEGAL 

Mullins Lawyers 

Ph: 07 3224 0222 

Curt Schatz - direct 

Ph: 07 3224 0230 

www.mullinslaw.com.au 

QHA SILVER PARTNERS 

Green Finance Group 

Independent Liquor Group 

Trans Tasman Energy Group 


QHA BRONZE PARTNERS 

Power Jeffrey and Company 

Best Security 

Rohrig Group 

St George Bank 

Red Bull Australia 

Brand+Slater Architects 

BOC Limited 

Paynter Dixon 

Prosperity Advisers QLD 

iCharge Tablets 



APPROVED 

MANAGER’S 

APPROVED 

MANAGER’S 

LICENCE 

RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT 

LICENCE 

MANAGER’S 

OF LICENSED VENUES 

TRAINING 

RESPONSIBLE 

LICENCE 

MANAGEMENT 


TRAINING 

“HONESTLY THE BEST TRAINING 

SESSION! FUN AND LIGHT-HEARTED 

WHILE BEING VERY INFORMATIVE AND 

RESPONSIBLE “HONESTLY THE MANAGEMENT 

BEST TRAINING 

KNOWLEDGEABLE. THANKS, QHA.” 

SESSION! FUN AND LIGHT-HEARTED 



OTHER COURSES OFFERED: 

KNOWLEDGEABLE. THANKS, QHA.” 

Online RSA/RSG Training 

TRAINING 

Gaming Nominee Training 


Employment Relations Training 

Employment Online RSA/RSG Relations Training Webinar 


Employment Relations Training 

Employment Relations Webinar 

Responsible Management of Licensed Venues 

Training is a mandatory training requirement 

for those applying for a liquor licence, and 

applicants for an Approved Manager’s Licence. 

Training Responsible “HONESTLY is offered Management face THE to BEST face of Licensed at TRAINING regional Venues 

centres Training throughout is a mandatory Queensland. training requirement 

for those applying for a liquor licence, and 

applicants SESSION! for FUN an Approved AND LIGHT-HEARTED 

Manager’s Licence. 

Training is offered face to face at regional 

centres For more throughout information Queensland. please contact the 

QHA Training Centre 

Ph: 07 3221 6999 Fax: 07 3221 6649 

Email: 

APPROVED 

training@qha.org.au 

For more information please contact the 


QHA KNOWLEDGEABLE. Training Centre THANKS, QHA.” 

Ph: 07 3221 6999 Fax: 07 3221 6649 

Email: training@qha.org.au 




Bennett & Philp Lawyers 

Ph: 07 3001 2999 

www.bennettphilp.com.au 

Broadley Rees Hogan Lawyers 

Ph: 07 3223 9121 

www.brhlawyers.com.au 

Commercial Licensing 

Specialists 

Ph: 07 5526 0112 

www.clslicensing.com.au 

Corrs Chambers 

Westgarth - Lawyers 

Ph: 07 3228 9778 

www.corrs.com.au 

McMahon Clarke 

Ph: 07 3831 8999 

www.mcmahonclarke.com 

LIQUOR BUYING GROUPS 

Independent Liquor Group 

Ph: 07 3713 2751 

www.ilg.com.au 

Liquor Marketing Group 

(Bottlemart) 

Ph: 1300 733 504 

www.bottlemart.com.au 

LIQUOR WHOLESALE 

GROUPS 

ALM (Australian Liquor 

Marketers) 

Brisbane: Ph: 07 3489 3600 

Townsville: Ph: 07 4799 4022 

Cairns: Ph: 07 4041 6070 

www.almliquor.com.au 

MEDIA/MARKETING 

iCharge Tablets 

Ph: 1300 852 636 

www.icharge.net.au 

POINT OF SALE 

Bepoz Retail Solutions 

Ph: 1300 023 769 

www.bepoz.com.au 

CashPoint Payment Solutions 

Ph: 1300 286 626 

www.cashpoint.com.au 

lnCash ATMS 

Ph: 1300 800 660 

www.incash.com.au 

PRINTING / GRAPHIC 

DESIGN 

Platypus 

Ph 07 3352 0300 

www.platypusgraphics.com 

Easil - Graphic Design 

Ph: 1300 032 745 

www.easil.com 

SECURITY / CLEANING 

Best Security 

Ph: 07 3212 8460 

www.bestsecurity.net.au 

Bluey’s Cleaning Solutions 

Ph: 1800 925 925 

www.blueys.net.au 

Complete Property Service 

Australia 

Ph: 07 3180 3800 

completepropertyservice. 

com.au 

Cap Security Services Pty Ltd 

Ph: 07 3892 7777 

www.capsecurity.com.au 

Clear to Work - Police Checks 

Ph: 07 3899 1123 

www.cleartowork.com.au 

Challenger Services Group 

Ph: 07 5668 3133 

www.csgroup.com.au 

CMBM Facility Services 

Ph: 07 3391 1040 / 

0419 708 715 

www.cmbm.com.au 

Lotus Filters 

Ph: 1300 653 536 

www.lotusfilters.com.au 

Tru Security Services 

Phone: 0452 377 662 

Web: www.trusecurity.com.au 

SUPERANNUATION 

lntrust Super Fund 

Ph: 07 3013 8700 

www.intrust.com.au 


Superannuation 

Ph: 07 3218 3900 

www.hanrickcurran.com.au 

TECHNOLOGICAL 

PRODUCTS 

& SERVICES 

First2Click 

Ph: 1300 765 385 

www.unidapsolutions.com.au 

Big Ass Fans 

Ph: 1300 244 277 

www.bigassfans.com.au 

Bytecraft Systems 

Ph: 07 3456 3345 

www.bytecraft.com.au 

Eco Synergy Systems 

Ph: 0429 820 101 

www.ecosynergysystems. 

com.au 

JB Hi-Fi Commercial 

Division 

Ph: 07 3360 9925 

www.jbhifi.com.au 

QIKID 

Ph: 1300 553 256 

www.qikid.com 

Scantek Solutions 

Ph: 1300 552 106 

www.scantek.com.au 

Time Target 

Ph: 07 3137 1133 

www.timetarget.com 

ViMedia 

Ph: 1300 846 334 

www.klackit.com 

TRANSPORT 

A.P. Eagers Limited 

Ph: 07 3109 6731 

www.apeagers.com.au 

Black and White Cabs 

Ph: 07 3860 1800 

www.blackandwhltecabs. 

com.au 

WASTE MANAGEMENT 

Bottlecycler 

Ph: 0434 416 540 

www.bottlecycler.com 

MANAGER’S 

Online RSA/RSG Training 


Employment Relations Training

#SAVETHEGREATEYEDEER 

creative solutions for branding, print, online and more. don’t settle for the mediocre. 

HORSE & WATER 

www.horseandwater.com.au

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