As Wollongong prepares to host 24-hour bars for fans to watch the soccer World Cup live, the nightlife of a city once known for having some of the most violent venues in the state is turning a corner, but some CBD residents are calling for caps on late night operating hours.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After suffering through COVID restrictions, a new crop of bars have emerged post-pandemic to keep Wollongong's nightlife alive.
These include Globe Lane favourite La La La's and owner Nathan Stratton said the bar had picked up where storied live music venue Rad Bar had left off.
"It's been a really tricky few years for the live music industry," Mr Stratton said. "Now I think we've finally got a dedicated live music space for local and touring musicians."
La La La's, along with neighbouring small bar Bevanda Bar are gearing up to open all night for fans to come and watch the World Cup for the next month, but on a week-to-week basis, having flexibility in opening hours is key to keeping the live music venue running.
"To have the flexibility of extended trade, outdoor dining and rebates for live music, instead of gambling facilities, it really helps us continue to do what we're doing, because the margins are just so fine," Mr Stratton said.
Wollongong City Council deputy mayor Tania Brown said the city's nightlife now has a positive reputation.
"We've seen the growth in small bars and the NSW government has often quoted the success of our night time economy, particularly for music," she said. "That's bringing people in, it's helping those businesses and providing a more vibrant and safer environment."
At the same time as the late-night economy is reviving, more residents are moving into the CBD, particularly with new high-rise apartments. On the one hand, this brings more regular patronage to CBD establishments, but on the flip-side, complaints about noise and revelry.
A recent liquor licence application for a cafe and bar in the Parq on Flinders development including opening hours until 12am, attracted a number of comments in opposition to the late opening hours.
"The opening hours nominated in the application (until 12.00am) would not be in line with the expectations of 'strata living' and potentially create noise or nuisances at unreasonable hours," Jan Hutton wrote.
A burger bar on Crown Street applied for extended trading hours until 4am on weekends, and drew similar comments.
"I have a unit, in the residential block, adjacent to this business," Marylouise Laxton wrote. "I believe that the amount of noise and the trading hours for this venue are unacceptable."
Clr Brown said residents in the CBD, of which she is one, had to put up with a level of noise.
"It's like people complaining about school kids, when they live next to a school. When you live in the CBD, you have to expect a bit of activity and the hustle and bustle that comes with that," she said. "But equally, those clubs have to be respectful of the residents, they have to abide by their operating hours."
Mr Stratton, whose bar is not located next to residential blocks, said he has never had a noise complaint, but that was a virtue of his location.
"We've got all these new high-rises coming in, it's going to be an interesting time as they populate and hopefully can coexist with the hospitality trade."
As the city tries out 24-hour opening hours over the next month, it could be an indication of how Wollongong develops into an all-day, all-night city.
"I'd like to see how Wollongong will evolve as a city," Mr Stratton said. "We're far from being a 24-hour city."
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.