Wagga’s most exclusive and secretive club has thrown open its doors to the public across the weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Riverine Club is one of the oldest institutions in the city, steeped in prestige and history.
Members of the previously elite gentleman’s club welcomed visitors through the inner sanctum of the “hidden gem” on Saturday.
Director Bernard Whyte said many Wagga residents had never set foot inside the club and few knew about its past. He said the building was the city’s original public school until it was sold and re-purposed in 1881.
Mr Whyte said the club stayed operating across the two world wars, when most others closed down.
Despite still being a mystery to many, he said the club’s membership base had since broadened, with like-minded men and women joining for fellowship.
Opportunities to tour the building will continue on Wednesday, May 31 and Thursday, June 1 from 1pm. A Heritage Dinner on Friday, June 2 from 6.30pm will conclude the open-house.
Mr Whyte said conservation architect and National Trust of Australia president Clive Lucas would be keynote speaker for the night.
“Buildings such as this give a town its memory,” Dr Lucas said. “It gives a character different from other towns so these buildings are very important to the town’s identity.”
