Dressed to Krill
The Whale & Ale Tavern:
Cnr Ocean Keys Boulevard & Key Largo Drive, Clarkson WA
(08) 9408 5444 or www.whaleandale.com.au
The Whale & Ale Tavern has firmly entrenched itself within Perth’s Clarkson/ Mindarie community since opening in December 2006. Oldfield Knott were the architects and designers. Their brief demanded a pub that the local residents could call their own — it needed to feel homey, comfortable and not overbearingly stylish. There is a strong ex-pat Pom community in the area and some ‘olde worlde’ country inn vibe was also called for.Operationally, the tavern has been carefully planned and offers a bistro lounge, bar/lounge, drive-thru bottle shop and outdoor dining/courtyards. The lounge areas are interconnected and able to be opened up when required. The décor employs traditional elements such as Victorian-corniced and coffered ceilings, carpet and use of timber to columns and bars. These are fused with the contemporary use of stone, glass, light fittings and furniture supplied by Furniture Options.Featuring recycled jarrah and European beech timbers, the tavern has succeeded in replicating the warm and inviting ambience of an olde English pub — a theme . The theme has been a major success for the tavern.The pub’s outdoor area boasts teak benches and woven chairs and stools, for a modern yet relaxed drinking spot in the finer months… which, let’s face it, is about 11 months of the year in Perth at the moment. Mega Vision Sound & Lighting supplied and installed the audiovisuals including a Turbosound Impact audio system. “I find the Turbosound Impact 50s give such a good clarity of sound even when they increase the volume to its highest level,” said Jeff Georgiou, Managing Director of Megavision. “They’ve also got a very wide dispersion so they cover this area well and when they’re overlapping you don’t get the loss of sound as you’re walking between speakers.”As well as the 27 Turbosound Impact 50 speakers there are five Turbosound TCS35 speakers, two Turbosound TQ315 speakers, a couple of Turbosound TSB212 dual 12-inch folded subwoofers and seven Australian Monitor QF8 ceiling speakers. A range of Australian Monitor amplifiers as well as a Lab Gruppenz C68-4 multi-channel power amplifier supply the power.A Peavey Media Matrix X-Frame88 delivers a complete audio processing system while an Australian Monitor DigiPage provides an audio routing system. Seven remote volume/source select wall panels are located around the venue. “As the tavern is located in a residential area, the venue owners were concerned about sound issues,” added Jeff. “They did the right thing and sought acoustic advice and since opening there hasn’t been one complaint. It means they can run the nightclub or band as loud as they like and you can’t hear anything outside.”A small stage area, which caters for small bands and DJs, is lit by a few par cans and utilises a Jands 12-channel dimmer and a Jands Stage 24 desk. Provision is made for the possibility of larger productions with the inclusion of extra plug-in points and drop boxes.Behind the main bar Jeff has installed a plasma media spinner so the Panasonic plasma screen can spin in a variety of directions. Another unique feature that Jeff instigated are the NEC LCD screens installed into the toilets so no die-hard footy fans have to miss any of the action due to a bursting bladder. A further eight plasma screens are located around the venue as well as a Panasonic projector and a 120-inch projection screen.