Hawke’s Brewing Co’s new Marrickville headquarters is equal parts taproom and time warp with its feet firmly planted in the past, present and future.
Just when it seemed like there couldn’t possibly be room for another craft brewery in Marrickville, along came perhaps the most impressive and ambitious one yet. Much more than just a production site and taproom for Hawke’s Brewing Co, The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre is a love letter to a bygone Australia and a fitting tribute to its namesake. Enter and you’re immediately thrust into a wood-panelled wonderland that references the community clubs, scout halls, bowlos, pubs and RSLs of the ’70s and ’80s.
It’s a fully realised, 2100-square-metre feast for the eyes with space for 300 larrikins, spanning split levels and spaces both inside and out. You can park at a picnic table on The Patio, pull up a stool at The Public Bar or gather your mates and hire out Sanctuary Cove – the troppo mezzanine that overlooks the action. At the centre of it all is the Lucky Prawn, a retro Chinese bistro ripped straight from a suburban high street – hand-painted signage, patterned carpet, vinyl chairs and all. And out back, finally, is The RJLH Pool Room, home to a small museum’s worth of photos and memorabilia that detail and celebrate Hawkie’s illustrious career. There’s just so much to explore.
