The Thirsty Travellers swung by The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre on Saturday for a Chinese feed with friends.

Hawke’s Brewing, the beer company co-founded by former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, opened the doors to the venue in 2022, inside its brewery in Sydney’s Marrickville.

While we drove to the brewery for lunch, it’s just a few minutes’ walk from the new Sydenham Metro, which is such a fast and convenient route if you fancy having a couple of drinks.

The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre is as much a tribute to Bob Hawke as it is a love letter to Australiana and the cosiness of familiarity – it immediately delighted us upon entry.

The venue aims to time warp customers to a quintessential 1980s-pub and community club experience and is filled with Bob memorabilia, alongside a Australian-Chinese bistro called The Lucky Prawn.

It speaks loudly and happily to our youth.

As co-founder Nathan Lennon told Bars & Clubs: “There’s a difference in the look on a guest’s face when they walk through the front doors of the Leisure Centre if they’re over 45 years old, than maybe someone who’s 25. It hits them in the heart. It snaps them back, that’s probably the most powerful part of what the experience is doing.”

Presiding over the kitchen of the Lucky Prawn is the biggest golden prawn in the Southern Hemisphere. We were invited to the unveiling of the prawn in late 2022, a 120kg crustacean-model that towers over the bistro, with both its mechanical arms waving to the patrons below.

The menu at the Golden Prawn showcases a nostalgic 1980s Chinese-Australian food experience, featuring dishes such as prawn toast and sweet and sour pork.

We ordered a serve of the delicious prawn toast, alongside prawn dumplings, special fried rice and whole snapper with ginger and shallots on our visit, followed by mango pudding for dessert.

We went with friends whose vegetarian daughter had just turned 18. She ordered the kids’ meal of noodles and springs rolls with a scoop of ice cream for dessert, then made me laugh by requesting a Crocodile Mile cocktail to accompany it!

The cocktail menu continues the 80s vibe – the Crocodile Mile is a take on the classic Japanese Slipper, with Midori, Cointreau and lemon. We stuck to cider and light beer as we had a busy day ahead.

The venue also pumps out classic ’80s songs on the turntable, while even a visit to the bathroom is a trip down memory lane, with the sound system featuring Tony Greig commentating ’80s cricket. Ah how we loved those years when Greg Chappell, Denis Lillee, Kim Hughes and Rod Marsh were at the crease …

After lunch we headed to The Pool Room for a game before hitting the road, as our friends were off to see the Wallabies versus the All Blacks.

We had such a fun time and can’t wait to return. Put it on your list of Sydney must-experience venues.

The Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre is located at 8-12 Sydney St, Marrickville.