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A piece of Brisbane’s history will be up for grabs in Fortitude Valley in the heart of the city as local infamous institution Les Bubbles goes under the hammer on Friday, 16 November.
This is the site of the notorious Bubbles Bath-House, an illegal casino and massage parlour featured at the centre of the Fitzgerald Inquiry in the 1980s (Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct).
The iconic property is being marketed by the Ray White Commercial Gold Coast commercial sales duo of Simon Robertson and Brad Merkur.
Mr Robertson said that the property is steeped in history.
He said that it offers potential buyers an opportunity to purchase an asset that has gone down in Brisbane folklore.
“There’s no doubting the historical significance of this building. Not only is it heritage-listed, but it was formerly known as Brisbane’s most famous illegal casino,” Mr Robertson said.
Misconduct
Mr Robertson said that the property has transformed in time.
“A rogue’s gallery of corruption and misconduct is highlighted throughout the gallery within the restaurant/bar and is an essential stop for connoisseurs of Brisbane’s past.
“The 15-person spa downstairs in the white-tiled Bath-House bar offers some clue to its star billing in the Fitzgerald Inquiry.”
Mr Merkur said that the history of the property was not the only drawcard.
“The asset is in the centre of a range of significant projects where large-scale urban renewal is being undertaken. These include the Herston Quarter, RNA Showgrounds redevelopment and The Royal International Convention Centre.”
Mr Merkur said that the property is ideal for an investor, developer or a self-managed super fund.
Illegal gambling and prostitution
In 1987, the acting Queensland premier ordered the Fitzgerald Inquiry after media reports of possible police corruption involving illegal gambling and prostitution.
Initially expected to last only six weeks, the inquiry spent nearly two years conducting a comprehensive investigation of long-term systemic political corruption and abuse of power in Queensland.
According to the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission, the inquiry changed the policing and political landscape across Australia.
Significant prosecutions followed the Fitzgerald Inquiry, leading to four ministers being jailed and numerous convictions of other police officers, including former police commissioner Terence Murray Lewis, who was jailed and stripped of his knighthood.
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