Hundreds of photos: Flashback galleries of Gippsland night clubs — the glory days

Gippsland has had some memorable night clubs across the region. Now, we look back on the glory days of clubs such as the Hotel in Phillip Island, Kay St in Traralgon and the Bank in Warragul.

Here are the flashback photos of the glory days of the night clubs in Bass Coast and Gippsland. See if you were featured in the albums.

The beautiful region of Gippsland is known for its sightseeing attractions, and when it hits dark, a few thriving towns switch on their disco lights, stereos and hire popular DJs to spin their tracks at nightclubs.

Flashback photos have been gathered from the 2010s, throwing back to what was going on and who was going out.

There are hundreds of snaps from some of the most iconic clubs, so see if you made an appearance in the albums.

Hotel — Phillip Island (2010)

The high-energy, action packed pub situated on The Esplanade in the heart of Cowes overlooks the historic jetty with stunning views of the Western Port and French Island.

On Saturday nights, Hotel Phillip Island is Bass Coast’s only late night venue, staying open as late as 2am to 3am occasionally.

The venue is also known for hosting a New Year’s Eve party where the pub is flocked with partygoers, who can enjoy a dance floor upstairs with a DJ, an outside beer garden of the main bair downstairs.

Here are nostalgic snaps from New Year’s Eve at the Hotel in 2010 — were you featured?

Star Bar — Traralgon (2012)

It may only be a small bar, but the Grey St venue has gotten a name for itself across the Gippsland area.

Star Bar has been serving up drinks for more than 20 years.

The bar is well known for its older crowd, having a cozy indoor space, pool tables, a dance floor and an outdoor area for those who want to have a chat.

Karaoke nights are hosted every Wednesday night until 1am and DJs spin the tracks on weekends.

A Halloween party was hosted by the venue back in 2012 — so take a look to see if you can find yourself or your friends in the gallery.

Kay St Entertainment — Traralgon (2014)

It’s Latrobe Valley’s classic night club — partying away since 1996.

The venue has gone through different brand name changes, such as Saloon Bar and Inferno, The Aviary, and recently taken over by the Deck franchise, which reopened the renovated bar and bistro in June last year.

The club is known for its multi-coloured light up dancefloor in the inferno room, giving the old retro vibes of the film Saturday Night Fever.

The venue is also located next door to the Traralgon police station, so officers even get a sight of what the club is all about.

Kay St Saturdays in Traralgon on July 19, 2014. Picture: Facebook

It hosts some of the largest events and features many popular Aussie DJs including Will Sparks, Joel Fletcher, Teddy Cream, Some Blonde, Press Play, SCNDL, Timmy Trumpet, Uberjackd and Reece Low.

The venue used to stay open until 4am and now closes at 3am or 3.30am on particular nights.

View the photos from the club in 2014.

Fresh as/Ryan’s Hotel — Traralgon (2014)

When it came to Friday nights back in the day, the Ryan’s Hotel, also known as “Fresh as” was the go to spot for Gippslanders to have a boogie and polish off some beverages after work on Friday, going into Saturday morning until 3am.

The Franklin St pub is located opposite the Traralgon Centre Plaza and the taxi rank — where people are able to get home for their own convenience.

However, most clubgoers would have to leave the club early or sprint to the rank quickly as the queue for a cab would line up fast.

The venue went through some changes over the past couple of years, and it was renamed as the Hotel Traralgon in 2021, where lines to get into the pub at the end of that year were chaotic.

The renovated pub also featured a marquee with fake grass that partygoers used as the main dance floor, enjoying the fresh summer breeze all the way through to the next seasons.

Now we throwback to when the venue had it’s very first launch party of “Fresh as” in September 2014.

The Bank Hotel — Warragul (2018)

The Smith St venue, situated just an hour and 15 minutes east of Melbourne, was once a 1930s bank and has been transformed into a modern day pub and restaurant, quickly becoming a favourite spot for locals.

Guests can kick back and watch sport on the big screens in the sports bar, relax in the courtyard and deck area.

The Bank also has a nightclub that hits off all night until 3am.

Check out the photos from the Bank’s launch night in June 2018.