The Den, Fortitude Valley Temporarily Closed After Hit-And-Run

The Den at Fortitude Valley, one of the few remaining gay sex on premises venues in Brisbane, has closed its doors for the time being after a car crashed into the building in the early hours of Saturday morning. 

Speaking to the Star Observer, The Den’s general manager Justin Hughes explained that the incident was a hit-and-run where the car crashed into the building at 4:38am on Saturday, December 14. Thankfully, the incident happened 15 minutes after The Den closed, meaning no patrons or staff were injured. 

A Brisbane council safety officer taped the front of the building for public safety a short time after, but it was only when the morning shift member of staff arrived at the site did The Den team become aware of the incident. 

Justin said: “When I attended, we found the car had gone through an external wall, internal doors and destroyed approximately 40% of our club’s bottom floor. We reported the damage to our building owner, and then both us and the owner called the police and the insurance company.”

“We only have our cameras to go off, as it was a hit-and-run and the police are yet to do any form of investigation despite me calling them twice,” he added. 

A speedy recovery for The Den

Despite the unexpected setback right before the Christmas period, The Den are looking set to recover quickly. “We have already engaged a builder who will be on-site this coming week, working to get the venue reopened before Christmas,” said Justin. 

“We likely won’t have all the services our patrons love, but we know the importance of our venue within the community and the safe space it provides, so opening ASAP is essential to us,” added Justin. “Early January we will then have the builders back to rebuild all the items lost in the crash all new and better.”

When asked if there’s anything the Brisbane queer community can do to help The Den get back on its feet, Justin simply asked for people to continue being their wonderful selves and supporting the space. 

“I myself have been with The Den for 9 years and, having gone through COVID, I know first-hand how that little social interaction makes a huge difference in the spirit of both the staff and patrons,” he said. 

Patrons of The Den were shocked to hear about the incident, with people on Facebook wishing the team all the best in their repair efforts.