From my first step inside Cloudland, my eyes widened, struggling for focus as this visual feast of design, art and texture made me dizzy for a cocktail. It's a nightclub, but the internal architecture and detailed furnishing, beer selection and dining experience make it so much more than just a fancy watering hole. I have seen nothing like it in Australia.
Weaving upward to the many levels, a giant wall garden complete with waterfall, covered with creepers and vines as a backdrop, I peered down to the crowd below (think the Can-Can scene in Moulin Rouge) and above to the enormous retractable glass roof high in the sky that opens and closes depending on the Brisbane evening weather, and I was impressed.
It's the place Melbourne would love to create if it had the space. And indeed it has been done, but in parts. Whilst Cloudland is something of a spectacle, and designer Nic Brunner's work is incredible, especially with transitions into and out of theme, it's not so original that you leave bragging. Imagine Madam Brussels with Eurotrash above it, Long Room and Silk Road side-by-side, the beers of Cookie and Belgian Bier Cafe on tap and the buzz of Spice Market, all in one giant room. But what this place does is brings together a night out surrounded by creativity and choice.
It's worth checking out and certainly puts Brisbane on the Australian entertainment tourism map.
