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| Down Under |
| Darwin Stories: Porn and prawn are off the menu |
| 2003-07-14 |
| Given recent talk about Navy basing rights in Darwin, I thought this would be on-topic. EFL. Sunday mornings in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, used to mean one thing: the celebrated "strip and prawn" sessions laid on by the city’s clubs. A few dollars bought a plate of barbecued prawns and a cold beer in front of a stage on which a succession of ladies removed their clothing. Those were the bad old days - or the good old days, depending on your point of view. Over the years many strip joints have closed as clubs sought to appeal to a more discerning clientele. Darwin was keen to shake off its redneck image and recast itself as a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city. To the chagrin of the Territory’s red-blooded males, wine bars and quality restaurants replaced the drinking barns. Don’t want to be a Navy town, eh? But the city still has rough edges, and the men in question were heartened by plans for a new X-rated club at Stokes Hill Wharf, a redeveloped port district. The Pumphouse Gallery’s owners had already opened a fish restaurant on the site. Now they were promising "upmarket adult entertainment" upstairs, with male and female "exotic dancers" from across Australia and overseas. They had reckoned without the wrath of Darwin’s feisty female residents, who were horrified by the prospect of a return to porn and prawn. The women, including a female alderman, Carole Miller, organised a petition and lobbied the Licensing Commission without mercy. The wharf was a place where families came to eat fish and chips overlooking the water, they complained. Surely the authorities would not countenance children having to pass this den of iniquity? The owners of the Pumphouse, who had spent £1m redeveloping the building, gritted their teeth and proceeded as if nothing was amiss. Just a few weeks ago, they advertised in a national men’s magazine that they would be staging the Miss Exotic Angel Australia competition at the club. But the date of the competition passed and they had still not received a licence. They finally gave in last week, announcing that they had withdrawn their application. They now plan to use the upstairs space for more restaurant seating. No exotic dancers. No angels. One of the owners, Bob Kendray, said they had been taken aback by the ferocity of local opposition. "Obviously, Darwin is changing," he said. Obviously Conard won’t be coming to this place any time soon. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 Ahhh,tuna tacos. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-7-14 6:39:15 PM |
| #6 Hey, it all smells like fish, right? Ouch, sorry, wrong thread. |
| Posted by: therien 2003-7-14 5:13:41 PM |
| #5 Stupid, why mix prawn and shrimp. The expensive sea-side location should be a restaurant. The stripclub should be in the industrial part of town where kids don't walk by and where those that want to find it can find it. The feisty female residents will complain but at least its not an insult right in their face so they might not have the staying power they otherwise would have. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-7-14 4:34:00 PM |
| #4 Titties and beer! Titties and beer! And speaking of shrimps... (rim shot) |
| Posted by: mojo 2003-7-14 12:47:19 PM |
| #3 I'm indifferent on the issue of strippers (mainly because most aren't all that attractive) but don't take away my barbecued shrimp! |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-7-14 12:34:09 PM |
| #2 Sakes, it's all about the children again. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-7-14 10:02:37 AM |
| #1 mo no nonNOOOO bring the marines there will be prawn and porn aplenty if you just bring us the MARINES |
| Posted by: Anon1 2003-7-14 5:31:38 AM |