Clean slate for venue

The long-vacant Club Watersports building in Tweed Heads South will come to life this year, with the Taphouse group aiming to revamp and reopen the venue.

Angus Southwell opens the doors to the once Club Watersport on Fraiser drive, having stripped it out ready for contruction. Photo: Nolan Verheij-Full / Tweed Daily News. Picture: Nolan Verheij-Full

THE long-vacant Club Watersports building in Tweed Heads South will come to life this year, with the Taphouse group aiming to revamp and reopen the venue.

Taphouse general manager Angus Southwell said they bought the Fraser Dr building about two years ago.

Last week, tenders went out to find the right builder for the job.

So far, the building has been completely gutted, nothing more than a shell of its former self.

Mr Southwell said while the venue would retain its boat-shaped exterior shape, the layout would completely change - to include a bar, restaurant, drive-through bottle shop, restaurant area, massive beer garden complete with an outdoor stage and two children's play areas - designed by his sons.

"We'll have the capacity for live entertainment," Mr Southwell said.

"It's really about creating that family-friendly environment."

Mr Southwell said after a "highly successful" re-launch of Kingscliff Beach Hotel late last year, they hoped to reopen the venue by December 1.

He said what set this building apart was its wide open spaces and pontoon.

"It's got plenty of scope," he said.

"The question now is...do we get a courtesy bus or a courtesy boat?"

Mr Southwell said the venue would boast a six-metre outdoor screen for viewing sporting events and Balinese-style day beds for the grassy expanses of waterfront land.

He said the impending revamp of the Club Watersports building was expected to cost about $12 million.

Club Watersports was renovated in 2004, but it wasn't long before it closed again.

Building is expected to start in six weeks.