Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Darwin Waterfront Corporation General Manager Sam Burke on the Waterfront Beach Club Returning

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Katie Woolf spoke with Darwin Waterfront Corporation General Manager Sam Burke on the Waterfront Beach Club Returning · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining us in the studio right now though, to tell
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: us well where things are at with the takeaway liquor
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: situation down at the waterfront. It is Sam Burke, who
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: is the CEO of the Darwin Waterfront Corporation. Good morning
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: to you, Sam.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Morning Katie general manager.
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  Speaker 1: But I'll take I did just think to myself as
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: I said it, I wonder if I got that title
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: right now, Sam, this is something that you and I
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: have spoken about on a few occasions. The popular beach
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: club down there at the Darwin Waterfront. Just before Easter,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: that license was well stopped, so basically you could no
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: longer get the takeaway alcohol there. What's the current situation.
• 0:39
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so big blow as the emergency power ceased with
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: very little notice. But thankfully everyone has worked extremely hard
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  Speaker 3: on this. I've got to congratulate and thank the guys
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  Speaker 3: in the liquor department, also Minister Kirby in his office
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  Speaker 3: and the NT government for getting behind us to resolve
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  Speaker 3: this situation.
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Where pleased to have heard.
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  Speaker 3: From the Minister this morning that the new condition on
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  Speaker 3: all of the restaurants at the Waterfront that's called a
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  Speaker 3: catering authority, will allow them to sell takeaway liquor with
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  Speaker 3: food effective basically immediately. I think maybe give the venues
• 1:20
  Speaker 3: today to gear up to it, but certainly for the weekend.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: It's I mean, it's great.
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  Speaker 3: This is back to our fish, tacos and sangria on
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  Speaker 3: the lawns and the deck chairs.
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  Speaker 2: And then come June.
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  Speaker 3: So first week of June, huge relaunch of the Beach Club.
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  Speaker 3: So that's the big day beds, that's the umbrellas, that's
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  Speaker 3: the Beach Club. Music and my team have been working
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  Speaker 3: really hard to make it particularly special this year, so
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  Speaker 3: there's going to be that big launch in the first
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  Speaker 3: week of June's.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: Well, that's fantastic to hear.
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  Speaker 2: And I'll tell you what it does.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: Seem as though common sense has prevailed in this space.
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: I mean, we're talking about people enjoying a couple of cocktails,
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: saw a couple of drinks with their dinner down there
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  Speaker 1: at the waterfront on the lawns, like you and I
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: have discussed. You know, if you've got young kids, it
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  Speaker 1: makes life pretty easy. If they can run around, you
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  Speaker 1: can supervise them and relax while you're doing it.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, it was a real pity the other weekend when
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  Speaker 3: DJ whose name I don't know, because I'm obviously out
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  Speaker 3: of the loop, but the town was a buzz with
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: people to see a DJ concert. It's right, yes, you
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: don't know the name of us, we're obviously.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: In the same boats. Maybe God well done, well done.
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  Speaker 3: So the place is absolutely heaving and unfortunately the takeaway
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  Speaker 3: wasn't available and it would have just been a great
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  Speaker 3: additional benefit for venues that Honestly, the waterfront has been packed.
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  Speaker 3: It's still packed at the moment, but this just means
• 2:44
  Speaker 3: venues can sell more. It means more people can enjoy
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: it in a relaxed atmosphere. And as we've discussed before,
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: we haven't had a single issue to do with this
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  Speaker 3: takeaway alcohol with food at the waterfront. It's really well managed.
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  Speaker 3: People are really responsible and it has become sort of
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  Speaker 3: an iconic thing.
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  Speaker 2: We get Southerners who are coming.
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  Speaker 3: Out of the cold, they come down the glass lifts
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  Speaker 3: at the waterfront and just see this tropical paradise. Then
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  Speaker 3: you've got a cocktail with a meal sitting next to
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  Speaker 3: the water while the kids play. Really like it's everything
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  Speaker 3: that we want to present as Darwin. It's the image
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: that will ensure that our hospitality venues small, family owned
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  Speaker 3: venues will survive this year and flourish beyond.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: Those businesses down there telling you today. I mean, obviously
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: they've heard that news how they're feeling.
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: So we're very confident at the Waterfront, and indeed we're lucky.
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  Speaker 3: We've been performing strongly throughout the pandemic and things are
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  Speaker 3: going gangbusters at the moment. So for them, it's more
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: about making hey while the sun shines, which is why
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  Speaker 3: these extra sales help. The biggest issue they're facing that
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: they're telling me is capacity to service the demand.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: So staffing is still a big issue. But look, come down.
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  Speaker 3: They'll make sure that you get a great meal and
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  Speaker 3: drink and it's such a great environment.
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: That is one of the things that we've spoken about
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: at length over the last few weeks, and that is
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: the stuff in concerns that we've got around the Northern
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  Speaker 1: Territory at the moment, particularly in tourism and hospitality, and
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: by the sounds of things, even the Waterfront has been
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: experiencing some staff shortages.
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: Yes, so the hotel has been doing record numbers for
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  Speaker 3: months and months. All of our apartments are basically booked out,
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  Speaker 3: all of the short term ones.
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  Speaker 2: The restaurants.
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  Speaker 3: I mean I went down there on a Monday, non
• 4:25
  Speaker 3: public holiday Monday to have a meal and basically had
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: to squeeze in between bookings and venues were fully booked.
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  Speaker 2: So it's really great.
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  Speaker 3: But when the Waterfront does well, Darwin City does well,
• 4:36
  Speaker 3: the CBD does well, people move backwards and forwards. There's
• 4:39
  Speaker 3: a great energy around town at the moment, and we're
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: very proud to be the anchor of that energy. But
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  Speaker 3: this additional offering is just it recognizes the fact that
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: Darwin people and visitors are inherently responsible. We can enjoy
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  Speaker 3: a drink out responsibly with food, and we should be
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  Speaker 3: able to do that, and the Waterfront's the place to
• 5:01
  Speaker 3: do it at the moment. It's just a great offering
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  Speaker 3: and it's really unique, but arguably it shouldn't be that
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  Speaker 3: unique because it works so well and it's done well
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  Speaker 3: and people really love it.
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  Speaker 1: So we're excited and so Sam, first of June, it's
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  Speaker 1: when we're.
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  Speaker 3: Going first week of June, So I think it's the
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  Speaker 3: fifth and sixth June. I don't have a calendar in
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  Speaker 3: front of me, but I think that's the first weekend,
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  Speaker 3: and yeah, I'll come back and have a chat to
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  Speaker 3: you about that Beach Club launch, because there are some
• 5:25
  Speaker 3: really exciting bits and pieces that I reckon we'll get
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: you down for. I think we might even try and
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: drag you and the team down for a live cross or.
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: Ronnie and Ronnie, Ronnie and b King for that as well.
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  Speaker 2: We'll guarantee cocktails.
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  Speaker 3: And someone told me firefighters might be giving massages or
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  Speaker 3: I don't know.
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  Speaker 2: It's all it's going to be huge, so.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: It sounds like it could be crazy down there. Sam Burke,
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  Speaker 1: it's always good to catch up with you. We really
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: appreciate your time this morning, General Manager of the Darwin Waterfront.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks Katie, thank you.
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  Speaker 1: You are listening to Mix one oh four point nine
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  Speaker 1: is three sixty