Twin Towns Juniors Back Up and Running on Higher Ground

The venue is situated in a flood-prone area of Banora Point on the Far-North Coast of NSW and was purchased by Twin Towns in 2002. It flooded five times in 20 years, eventually becoming impossible  to insure. 

The final straw was in 2022 when devastating floods hit the area, destroying the venue and leading to a complete knock-down in April 2023 and a seven-month rebuild, which Twin Towns Chief Operation Officer Rod Pain said was a $12 million project. 

“We engaged TLF, a local builder that uses local trades, which is something that is important to the Club to support the local community,” Rod said. 

“We got to build a new Club and build it right to meet the expectations of our local members and provide a new facility with all of the best services.” 

Some of the features in the new build include a state-of-the-art audio visual system, a brand-new kitchen with efficient back-of-house services, a bigger bar and service area, plus a beer garden, kids play area and more. 

Twin Towns Juniors — which now holds a maximum capacity of 400 patrons — is one of three clubs operated by Twin Towns. It was Twin Towns’ smallest Club and is much loved by its members and the local sporting community. 

The single-story building now boasts an open floorplan which flows onto the well-renowned balcony that looks over the council sports fields, inviting patrons to sit and watch the local teams play cricket, football, rugby league and more while enjoying a meal and a drink in the comfort of the Club. 

With the old Juniors building aging rapidly, it wasn’t particularly attractive to a younger demographic or families in the area — something which Rod says has changed since the rebuild. 

“We've had so much excitement from people that have come in and saying they’re blown away by the huge difference in the feel of the place compared to what it used to be,” Rod said. 

“We've had a lot of younger people coming in a lot of the older people coming back in, everybody's been impressed and had a lot of positive things to say about it.” 

On top of the great feedback on opening night, Juniors also had a patron win a Keno 10-spot, taking home a prize of over $1.79 million. 

“I’ve been playing the same numbers across Keno and lotteries for more than two decades and they finally hit,” the winning man told Keno.  

“I never gave them a hope in hell. Turns out it was worth the wait!” 

The Club has been run off its feet with trade since the opening, with Rod proud to have the opportunity to deliver something fresh to the community. 

“It’s beyond our expectations, we've been doing about ten times what we would normally do, and we've had some evenings where you couldn't move because it is shoulder to shoulder,” Rod said. 

“It is just a really good vibe, and everybody is really excited about having a new venue in town, which is not something you get very often. 

“The new venue resets Juniors for the next 30 years — having a new Club with great structure about it that's going to give us another 30 years of future offerings for our members.”