Fortitude Valley, Queensland

Fortitude Valley, also known simply as the Valley is a suburb of central Brisbane, Australia immediately north of the CBD. It is the hub of Brisbane's nightlife, renowned for its nightclubs and adult entertainment. It is also the hub for Brisbane's gay scene, as home to a number of gay nightclubs and venues.

History: the birth and death of the Valley

Scottish immigrants from the ship SS Fortitude arrived in Brisbane in 1849, enticed by Rev Dr Dunmore Lang on the promise of free land grants. Denied land, the immigrants set up camp in Bowen Hills. A number of the immigrants moved on and settled the suburb, naming it after the ship on which they arrived.

1891 saw the train line extended from the CBD to the Valley, and Thomas Beirne opened a business on Brunswick Street. His business thrived and, after extension, inhe travelled to England in 1896, leaving his manager of two years, James McWhirter, in charge. Soon after his return, McWhirter established a competing drapery business opposite Beirne's in 1898. Beirne and McWhirter became keen rivals and are credited with establishing the Valley as a hub of commerce from the late 1890s.

In the late 19th century commercial activities in Brisbane were divided along religious lines, with protestant shopkeepers setting up along Queen and Adelaide Streets in the city proper and shops operated by Roman Catholics established in Stanley Street, South Brisbane. However in 1893 (and again in 1897) major floods wiped out many shops and owners in that area decided to move and set up operations north of the river in an area free of flooding. The area they chose was the Valley. By that time Brisbane's horse drawn tram system already centred on the Valley, making it the logical choice to establish a shopping precinct.

From the early 1900s through to the 1960s the thriving shopping precinct was dominated McWhirter's and Beirne's, and later, Overends', department stores. They were ultimately bought out by the Myer, David Jones and Walton chains respectively. Woolworths and Coles supermarkets and a host of smaller shops also flourished in the precinct during this period. Owing to its proximity to the CBD and the close concentration of public transport in the area, through the 1950s and 1960s the Valley became the largest non-CBD shopping precinct in Australia.

The rise of suburban shopping centres and the closure of the tram network in 1969 sounded the death knell for the Valley, with a gradual decrease in customers. David Jones closed its Valley store in the 1970s and Myer closed its doors in the early 1990s. The once thriving commercial centre devolved to dilapidation. In the 1970s and 1980s the area fell into ruins and, with the tacit support of police and government, illegal gambling houses and brothels set up shop. As the first step to its revitalisation, the Chinatown Mall was opened in 1987.

The Fitzgerald Inquiry soon exposed rampant government corruption and in 1989 led to the National Party's electoral defeat. Social and political change ensued, and the Valley is one of its cornerstones.

The Valley's gentrification, and trouble in paradise

The 1990s saw the development in the Valley of a thriving live music scene and nightclub district. In 1991 the Brunswick Street pedestrian shopping mall was established. Thereafter, the Brisbane City Council led a concerted urban renewal campaign, encouraging high density residential development around the suburb. The Sun Newspaper building and McWhirter's department store were redeveloped to house residential apartments.

Ultimately the Valley's gentrification resulted in cultural clash. In 1999, a new resident's complaint about neighbouring clubs' live music threatened the closure of the Empire Hotel and the Press Club, two popular and established venues. Musicians and their fans revolted through the "Save the Music" campaign and, 20,000 signatures later, petitioned Council and State Government to address the emerging problem. That resulted in 2005 in the establishment of Australia's first "entertainment precinct", designed to protect live music and new residents through planning restrictions.

Today

Brunswick Street stands as the Valley's centrepiece, boasting restaurants, boutique shopping, live music venues, nightclubs, backpackers' hostels, hotels, and residents new and old.

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