LOUIS BURKE | Culture | CONTACT
Owner of Betoota small bar ‘The Subterranean Moustachery’ Obbie Hanken (38) is determined to bring a certain level of class to this country town.
In a space that was previously used to store chairs and cockroaches, Hanken opened his small bar which he insists on referring to as a ‘speakeasy’ despite the fact it is a licensed venue and alcohol is legal.
“See here kid, it’s a throwback to prohibition days,” stated Hanken as he adjusted his suspenders with the gusto of someone who thinks anything good happened in the 1930s.
“We can fix ya a drink kid, on the sly don’t ya know?”
After confirming with investors that he was not a lost time-traveller, Hanken opened his small bar in Betoota hoping that locals would flock to a venue that was concealed behind a fire door near a dumpster that was once a crime scene.
“It’s a tough neighbourhood kid, beware these mean streets.”
Although in an era of legal alcohol, Hanken has managed to make his ‘speakeasy’ a venue true to the past, right down to the inflated price of the alcohol and entirely white clientele.
