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DESTINASIAN.COM – AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019
It’s barely noon on a Sunday, and there’s standing
room only at Felons. Within months of opening, Bris-
bane’s newest brewery, located in the city’s newest
entertainment precinct, has become a microcosm of
the Queensland capital, with groups of scantily clad
millennials sipping craft beers and cocktails, multi-
generational families eating pizza and dancing to a
duo singing pop covers, couples in activewear who
see no shame in ending their weekend walk with
some wine, and solo travelers (like me) perched on
waterside stools. Who needs conversation when the
people-watching is this good?
Set on a tight bend of the Brisbane River, Felons
Brewing Co. (felonsbrewingco.com.au) is among a
handful of cool new restaurants and bars populating
Howard Smith Wharves (howardsmithwharves.com),
a circa-1930s port facility that has recently emerged
from a US$140 million restoration. Encompassing a
3.4-hectare site, the wharves’ heritage-listed ware-
houses and sheds were built at the same time as the
Story Bridge directly overhead, which connects the
now exclusive suburb of Fortitude Valley with Kan-
garoo Point on the south side of the river. Shipping
company Howard Smith Ltd. moved in and spent 21
years here, downsizing operations during World War
II when the area was used as an air-raid shelter, and
finally shifting downstream in 1960. The local water
police called the wharves home for a couple of years,
but by the mid-’60s the facility lay abandoned, and
remained that way until 2014.
Brisbane’s city council rejected numerous redevel-
opment proposals before they settled on a scheme by
entrepreneur Adam Flaskas, whose plan promised
to restore the site and its distinctive buildings and
bring locals back to this unused part of the river in
the process. The potential was huge. Without beaches
or bays in their city, residents flock to the only water
they have: some of Brisbane’s most popular hubs for
wining and dining, like Southbank or the Powerhouse
in neighboring New Farm, overlook the caramel-
hued waterway. Finally, four years after Flaskas broke
ground at Howard Smith Wharves, Felons has ignited
a new waterside love affair.
Opened at the end of 2018, the sprawling brewpub
is split into five areas, including an overwater patio,
a restaurant offering glimpses of stainless-steel brew-
ing tanks, and a leafy courtyard with live music. The
IPA, pale ale, and lager on tap are all made using
Australian malts and hops, and the house cider is
pressed from local apples. You can order wood-fired
pizzas and perfectly grilled steaks, or grab a six-pack
and head to the lawn surrounding Felons’ adjoining
fish-and-chip shop. This takeaway affair may be casu-
al in service, but its burgers are as posh as they come
—think crumbed snapper with housemade tartare
sauce and pickled jalapeños.
Next door is Mr Percival’s (mrpercivals.com.au), a
casual bistro named for the pelican in the beloved
Aussie novel Storm Boy. With interiors by local de-
signer Anna Spiro, the dreamy space is like Brisbane COURTESY^ OF^ FELONS^ BREWINGCO.;^ COURTESYOFARC^ DINING^ &WINE^ BARAbove, from left:
Freshly shucked rock
oysters make the perfect
accompaniment to the
craft beers on offer
at Felons, Brisbane’s
only riverside brewery;
sommelier Ian Trinkle at
ARC Dining & Wine Bar.GOOD TO GO ABOUT TOWN