Route 66
February 1994 to February 2008
Opened in February 1994, a large bar on Hurst Street, formerly a straight nightclub called Rockwells, hence the large 'R' above the door. Owners Bass Breweries decided to turn it into a gay bar in the early 1990s and it reopened as Route 66. This is now one of the older Hurst Street bars and was initially very popular with the younger crowd, both male and female. It was also the first ‘brewery managed’ gay bar in the city. 
The bar had a resident drag queen host called Miss Billie who became as popular as the bar. Miss Billie was the drag queen turned away from the then recently opened Jo Joes in 1996 and was heavily involved in picketing the bar for fair access.
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