The former home of Darwin’s iconic Throb Nightclub has been demolished, following the long-running queer nightclub’s closure.
Throb Nightclub was sadly forced to close its doors in late 2023 after its home at the corner of Smith and Edmunds streets was condemned by authorities due to structural issues and water damage. The following year, Throb’s owner Tim Palmer confirmed the end of the club.
The NT News reports that in late January, demolition works began to pull down the Manolis building, which housed Throb upstairs.
The building’s owner, DCOH, said the demolition was the result of several structural factors but acknowledged the decades of history attached to the building.
“We recognise that the building holds strong memories for many locals,” he told the NT News.
“Throb in particular was an important venue for Darwin’s LGBTQ+ community over many years.
“The decision was based on the building’s overall condition and compliance at the time of inspection, with health and safety the overriding consideration.
“While it can feel like the end of an era, the immediate priority is safety and compliance. Looking ahead, it also creates an opportunity for renewal of the site and a positive contribution to the CBD.”
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‘Thank you Darwin’
Owner Tim Palmer and his business partners opened Throb Nightclub in 2000, as a safe and inclusive hotspot for Darwin’s LGBTQIA+ community.
The city’s sole LGBTQIA+ club proudly celebrated its 20th birthday in June 2020 and during the pandemic could safely welcome punters while the rest of the world was in lockdown.
“We absolutely loved giving Darwin a safe space way back in 2000 when we needed it,” Tim and his Throb colleagues Mark and Karen said in 2024 after the club’s closure.
“Thank you Darwin. We’ve loved being with you for the past 23 years and can’t thank you enough for the fun, love and generosity you have given us.”
Image: Throb Nightclub‘Some of the best nights out in Darwin’
Writing in the NT News this weekend, columnist and longtime Throb visitor Maria Billias said during 90s, 00s and 2010s, Darwin’s clubbers made countless core memories inside Throb Nightclub.
“Like the night a drag performer stopped mid-show to get into a full-blown screaming match with a patron before dramatically ordering him to be thrown out – pure theatre, pure Throb,” she said.
“Or the time a political figure dropped his mobile phone – complete with the phone numbers of the then chief minister and other politicians – into the toilet. [He] had to dig it out in fear of work recriminations.
“Then there’s the high profile legal identity who spent many a Saturday night dancing shirtless in the club.
“And who remembers when Throb caught on fire?
Throb Nightclub campaigning for marriage equality. Image: Supplied“Throb wasn’t just a venue. In a city as small as Darwin, spaces like Throb carried enormous weight.
“This wasn’t Sydney’s Oxford Street or Melbourne’s Fitzroy, where queer venues line entire strips. Darwin had just one. And boy was it brilliant.
“Throb was always the nightclub to be. For me, it was the backdrop to some of the best nights out in Darwin.
“In its heyday, Throb was flashy, loud, and gloriously defiant – a place where drag queens commanded the stage, pop anthems mysteriously pulled you up onto podiums, and where strangers became lifelong friends by 2am.”
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