Entertainment, Film, Theatre and TV, Published 4 February 2026
If you’ve ever wandered around South Bank and wondered what stood there before QPAC, you’re walking right over one of Brisbane’s most electric entertainment hotspots - the Cremorne Theatre! Long…
If you’ve ever wandered around South Bank and wondered what stood there before QPAC, you’re walking right over one of Brisbane’s most electric entertainment hotspots - the Cremorne Theatre! Long before the riverside precinct became cafés and culture, Cremorne was the place where Brisbane went for laughs, music, circus acts, and late‑night variety shows.
The theatre first sprang to life in 1911 as an open‑air venue on Stanley Street, South Brisbane, right on the riverbank. It grew out of the earlier “Cremorne Gardens” shows (running since 1902), and quickly became a favourite for vaudeville, cabaret, and all things spectacular. By 1919, it had expanded to seat around 3,000 people, making it one of the biggest entertainment venues in the city!
Through the 1920s and 30s, Cremorne evolved with the times - hosting everything from musical revues to early film screenings. During World War II, it roared back to life again, entertaining troops and locals with comedy, dance, and variety nights. It was loud, colourful, and absolutely iconic.
But like many of Brisbane’s early theatres, Cremorne’s story eventually faded. After several decades of stop‑start operation, the theatre closed for good in 1954, and the building was later removed. Today, the site forms part of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) — meaning Brisbane’s modern theatre district literally sits on the bones of its old entertainment playground.
It’s wild to think that where we now watch ballet, musicals, and concerts was once home to open-air vaudeville, circus acts, and roaring crowds under the stars. Cremorne may be gone, but its spirit still echoes through Brisbane’s arts scene.
Images - Public Domain - Queensland State Archives & Wikipedia
Copyright and reuse
We encourage the sharing of history and information, and we support the responsible reuse of our original content.
Written articles. Unless a page says otherwise, our original written content is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). You may copy, share, adapt and reuse it, including commercially, as long as you:
- credit “The Dave & Malou Channel” as the source and, where practical, link to the original page;
- link to the licence; and
- indicate any changes you made, without suggesting that we endorse you or your use.
Photographs and other images. Unless a credit or caption says otherwise, photographs and other images on this website, including illustrations, are available under CC BY 4.0 on the same conditions as our written articles. This covers images we created and images supplied by individuals, archives, libraries and families who have given permission for this use. Please check the credit and caption before you reuse an image, because some are not covered:
- Images marked “© The Dave & Malou Channel” must not be reproduced, reused or distributed without our prior written permission.
- For images credited to another person or organisation that are marked © or otherwise reserve their rights, please contact us before reuse so we can help clarify the copyright status and any permission you need. We cannot give permission on behalf of another copyright owner.
- Images labelled “Public Domain” may be used without permission, subject to any legal restrictions and the accuracy of that label.
Video, audio and third-party material. Video and audio are not covered by the licence unless a page says so. Copyright in material supplied by others, such as quotations, extracts and recordings, stays with its owner and is not covered unless we say so. Please contact us before reusing it.
Our name and logo. The name “The Dave & Malou Channel”, our logo and the look of the website are not covered by the licence. Please do not use them in a way that suggests we are connected with, or endorse, you.
Fair dealing. Nothing in our Website Terms limits your right to use material for private study, research, criticism, review, news reporting, or parody and satire, as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).
