Woolooga pub reopens after renovation
There will be celebrations in Woolooga this weekend when the doors are thrown open to the century-old Woolooga Hotel for the first time in a long time, and with an entirely new lease on life.
Gympie
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The Woolooga Hotel will reopen this Saturday, July 13, 2024 following a complete renovation and new fit-out.
The opening is the first in a planned multi-staged opening.
The pub has a completely new lease of life, after being purchased and restored by a family consortium of sorts.
The members of four local families banded together to buy it in 2023 and have spent the past 18 months getting it ready for its grand reentry into public life after the devastation of multiple severe floods.
Manager Sarah Ridge said on Wednesday the entire hotel had been painted, a new bar installed, eight beer taps, a new kitchen, new floors, new toilets and new furniture.
New accommodation had also been built, each sporting a queen sized bed.
“Ian Gray, Sean Gray, Simon Gray, Terry Golden, Dave Ingram and Darren Johnson are all 40 years residents of Woolooga and they bought the hotel because they wanted to see it fall back into its glory and put Woolooga back on the map,” Ms Ridge said.
“The whole building has been painted with a new bar with eight beer taps put in place, a new kitchen, new floors, new toilets and all new furniture including six new accommodation rooms all with brand-new queen beds in it.”
“(This Saturday) is the first stage of opening. We will only open the bar, so patrons can enjoy some drinks. We will open the kitchen in the second stage in the coming months and that’s when people can come and dine in.”
The Woolooga Hotel was previously owned by twin brothers Bill and Brendan Clarke Cooley, and was flooded in 2011, 2013 and 2021.
It was built in 1928 and is now almost 100 years old.
In that near century it has withstood many disasters, such as the fire of 1935, being rebuilt in 1938, and multiple floods.
“This time we have taken into considerations plans regarding future flooding and we have kept a single skin wall to help with easy cleaning and hosing both the inside and outside at once,” Ms Ridge said.
“During the current rebuilding of the hotel we have tried to keep the original branding board, the original floor and parts of the bar to remain the same.
“We’re excited to get this hotel going because it’s the only pub in Woolooga and has been quite popular over the years, attracting locals and tourists to have a good time.”
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