Construction on the new Estella mega pub is starting soon. Photo: Estella Hotel Holdings Unit Trust.
Estella is poised to have a three-storey pub by 2028 that will be the biggest Wagga has ever seen.
It’s divided opinion in the town. Some say it’ll be great for the economy and the northern suburbs’ entertainment scene; others are worried about late night noise, problem gambling and drunken behaviour.
But one thing is clear. The public has no say in what happens – our viewpoint is worth less than a middy of Cascade light.
The O’Hara Group will build the $10 million venue at 77 Avocet Drive, smack bang in the middle of a residential area full of houses, a school and shopping centre.
There will also be a bottle shop – giving Estella residents a fourth location to buy their grog.
It will feature three separate bars, a function centre, bistro and a gaming room with 30 poker machines. There’ll be space to fit in just under 1000 patrons and the venue will be open until 2 am every day except Sunday.
In September 2025, the O’Haras cleared the last major hurdle to the development when a NSW regulator approved the transfer of a liquor licence from the now closed Home Tavern on Fitzmaurice Street.
Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) chair Caroline Lamb said there were “no objections or concerns” by the community to giving the Estella mega pub the green light.
Wow. Everyone in Estella and Wagga is on board. Really?
In reality, who knew they had the opportunity to object or even express their view?
When Region broke the story about the liquor licence approval, many of our readers didn’t even know it had been considered.
The ILGA barely publicises proposals that are up for decision and it’s difficult to find detailed information on the mega-pub proposal online.
Try going on Wagga Wagga City Council’s website and looking up the approved development application for it. I’ll shout you a beer if you can locate it quickly. If you do happen to navigate your way to the right page, the information is presented in academic language in a format challenging for busy people to digest.
Ms Lamb says you can apply to have her decision to approve the liquor licence reviewed. But you have to pay a fee for that privilege. And guess what? It’s now too late. You only had 28 days from the time she handed down the decision you didn’t know she was making.
As I write this, I can almost hear some Estella residents saying, “So what? This pub development is going to create jobs, bring money into the suburban economy and save me from having to cross the bridge to have a pint. Don’t be such a wowser”.
I agree that on balance it’s a positive and can’t wait to check out the venue when it opens. But there are genuine questions that the community should be allowed to debate.
Do we really need 30 more gaming machines in a region where residents lose more than $100 million to pokies every year?
Is a 2 am closing time too late for a residential area?
What’s the impact of having four different bottle shops within such a small radius when crime and alcohol abuse are major social problems?
Community consultation is a joke in Australia and has been for a long time. Just ask anyone who is having a giant battery energy storage system built next to their home.
But in a genuine democracy, people should have the right to be properly informed about developments in their area in plain English, given plenty of time to offer their views and have their concerns addressed.
I’ll be the first to offer a cheers when the pub opens its doors, hopefully by Christmas 2027. But it’s time for authorities to lift their game and bring the public along for the ride.
