Overview
Igloo season has hit southeast Queensland, with winter's arrival seeing plastic domes popping up at bars around the region. Some pitch their see-through spaces on a rooftop. Others welcome folks in by the river. On the Gold Coast, you can hang out in a beach-themed bar that's given itself a winter lodge makeover. Or, there's Bribie Island Hotel's version: garden pods.
No one is pretending to be in icy climes at this northside pub, but it is only unleashing its newest addition for the frosty season. The garden pods are residing in the venue's fairy light-lit beer garden from June till the end of August, and they're exactly what they sound like. These domes come decked out in greenery and florals, furniture and cushions to look the part, and even feature a few plastic flamingos.
There's six pods in total, each catering for up to eight guests for two-hour sessions. If you're keen, you'll need to book in a package, which starts at $60 per person and covers a share-style menu, plus a drink on arrival.
You'll tuck into an antipasto platter filled with meats, cheeses, olives, arancini, chargrilled vegetables, dips and toasted sourdough — as well as grilled teriyaki beef skewers, buffalo chicken wings and barbecue pork ribs with roasted potatoes, parsnip, and salads as sides — with seafood available for an extra $35, and chocolate lava cake for $10.
The pods give Brisbanites their latest excuse to hit up the waterside pub, which scored a makeover at the end of 2021. As part Australian Venue Co's current renovation spree across Queensland — see also: Riverland, The Wickham, Cleveland Sands Hotel, Salisbury Hotel, Koala Hotel and the Crown Hotel in Lutwyche, with Nundah's The Royal also getting the same treatment — it spent $2.2 million to give the venue a facelift.
Courtesy of the revamp, Bribie Island Hotel is now home to a hefty outdoor space decked out with grass, white picnic tables and shady umbrellas, as well as a a new-look bistro that serves up pub classics. So, you can grab a beer, tuck into a chicken schnitzel, play lawn games and sit under a brolly — and, for a few months, now hang out in a leafy garden dome.
Find Bribie Island Hotel at 29 Sylvan Beach Esplanade, Bellara, open daily from 10am–3.30am — with the hotel's garden pods popping up until the end of August. For further information, head to the hotel's website.