Clubs to visit this summer – Metropolitan Melbourne/Geelong
We continue our series scanning the country for the clubs you need to visit this summer, with Metropolitan Melbourne/Geelong next in focus.
Metropolitan Melbourne
Located just over Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge in the heart of Newport, you’ll find the hugely popular Newport Bowls Club nestled in just behind the train station. You don’t need to be a member, a bowler or a local to stop by, as the club aims to offer a welcoming environment that can be enjoyed by all. The bistro is open five days a week and you can enjoy a great priced meal, wide selection of wine or local brews, accompanied by live music, sport on the big screen or even a game of pool for 40c!
One of the oldest clubs in Melbourne, the Richmond Union Bowling Club is located in the heart of Richmond and on direct tram routes out of the CBD. Fine food, first-class facilities and a genuinely friendly atmosphere help to make the club a must-visit when you’re in Melbourne town. Fun fact, the club provided the birthplace for the 2002 box office hit Crackerjack, as stars Mick Molloy and Bill Hunter famously used to share drinks and yarns at the club with its members, with some of the stories they shared providing the inspiration for the movie.
A hub for various sports in the community of St Kilda, one of Melbourne’s most iconic suburbs, the club offers barefoot bowling and function hire for workgroups, birthday parties, family catch-ups and more. Boasting a large beer garden and BBQ facilities, visitors can enjoy a relaxed day of bowls and hospitality with numerous function packages also available. One of the clubs to kickstart the barefoot bowls revolution!
Australia’s oldest bowling club, Melbourne Bowling Club is conveniently located in the inner-city suburb of Windsor just off the famous Chapel Street. The club is a busy and thriving establishment with many members, both young and old, utilising the four greens. The Melbourne Bowling Club also has links to the film Crackerjack, used as the major filming location.
Another club located in an iconic heartland of Melbourne, Albert Park, the Middle Park Bowling Club is too one of the oldest clubs in the city. With three greens comprising of 20 rinks, their north-west aspect captures Melbourne’s magnificent sunsets. The club has also recently launched ‘Summer Night Lights‘, with free entry, barefoot bowls, food trucks, happy hour and live music every Friday night from 2pm!
A community bowls club with roots going back over 100 years, the Preston Reservoir Bowls Club in Melbourne’s north-west boast three grass greens, a large clubhouse ideal for all sorts of functions, off-street parking and fully licenced bar.
Set in the beautiful surrounds of Murrumbeena Park in the south-east of Melbourne, the club offers two superb bent grass greens and a spacious clubhouse in which you can sit and enjoy the view of bowlers honing their skills while enjoying a drink with friends. Head down on Friday night for Happy Hour, raffles, nibbles, and a cash Jackpot draw.
With two all-weather synthetic greens, bowls is played all year round at Vermont South in Melbourne’s east and night events under floodlights are also very popular with members and visitors. Hardly a day goes by without an organised event at the club in what is an action-packed calendar, no matter whether summer or winter.
Since its establishment in 1947, Burwood District Bowls Club has long had a great history in the east of Melbourne. Whether you are looking for a competitive club, a function venue or a place to have a bit of fun, Burwood is the place you want to be. Like all forward-thinking bowls clubs, Burwood has embraced the barefoot bowls revolution and newcomers to the sport are invited to try the game on for size whether through corporate or party events, with regular Friday nights under lights through the summer months.
Geelong/Surf Coast/Great Ocean Road
With Geelong just over an hours drive down the highway from Melbourne, it’s a must-visit this summer for its Bellarine and Surf coastline surrounds and bowls clubs. One of them, Eastern Park, is located right in the city’s heartland at the popular Eastern Beach, a popular destination for day-trippers and tourists alike. Bowling is available all year round on the club’s fabulous grass greens in a family-friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
With a recently renovated clubhouse, the Torquay Bowls Club (Bowls Australia’s 2017 Club of the Year) located at the beginning of the Great Ocean Road is a picturesque club with sweeping views of the Surf Coast. Get down to the club on a Wednesday or Thursday for its popular Twilight bowls, or sample the fine food and beverages at the popular Greens bistro!
Separated by a 45-minute drive along the Great Ocean Road to Torquay, the Lorne Bowls Club is too located in a beautiful pocket just shy off the coastline. The club offers a buzzing social scene, with DJs, cheap barefoot bowls and Happy Hour all regular initiatives. Lawners Café is open Thursday to Sunday, and for dinner from 6pm.
Bellarine Peninsula
A popular seasonal holiday destination approximately 40 minutes drive from Geelong, Portarlington Bowls Club is located adjacent to the beach and pier. A beautiful little club with all-weather playing conditions, be sure to stop in this summer whether it be a scenic drive along the Bellarine or the ferry service from Docklands.
Located on the ocean side of the Bellarine Peninsula 20kms from Geelong, Ocean Grove Bowling Club is an exceptional complex and home to some of our best former and potential future Jackaroos in Matt Flapper and Kira Bourke. The club’s newly refurbished facilities include two lawn greens, a carpet green, restaurant/cafe, children’s playroom, function/conference rooms, sports lounge and a members’ lounge showcasing the proud history of the club.
Contributions by Paul Holtschke – Regional Bowls Manager (Metropolitan Melbourne/Geelong)
