One of Wagga’s oldest pubs is perfectly poised to maintain some of the traditional elements a watering hole should offer.
A change to the bar scene landscape is looming with upstart boutique bars and craft breweries pushing for a slice of the market, but the Union Club Hotel’s Victorian facade has faced significant change before.
The iconic building, located right in the middle of the city’s CBD, has kept its 19th century facade mostly intact, including its wraparound lacework balcony and verandah that most other pubs in Wagga ditched in the 1940s-50s.
Union Club Hotel bar manager Harrison Sewell said you could expect to see up to a dozen or so regulars mosey in for a quiet beverage on any given afternoon.
Long-term Wagga resident Jeff Gamble remembers the days where people went to the pub to catch up after a hard day’s work.
“People are losing the ability to talk to each other face-to-face,” Mr Gamble said.
“The newer pub culture is entirely different. A pub was a meeting place.”
