CONCEPT
A leisurely two-and-a-half-hour drive from the Gold Coast, the historic town of Grafton has witnessed the return of one of the town’s icons almost 70 years since it first opened.
History matters in Grafton: it was the first city established on the New South Wales North Coast, it’s filled with glorious Victorian and Edwardian architecture and is known for its 1700 plus jacaranda trees that provide a spectacular purple backdrop every year.
It is also home to the region’s first commercial brewery.
To solve post-WWII beer shortages, the Grafton Brewing Co. was established in 1949, but the ensuing business was not realised without a bureaucratic battle.
Construction was delayed by the Department of Building Materials as a result of shortages, with the South Grafton Council of the day criticising the department and pointing out that materials could be sourced locally.
The state-of-the-art facility was finally completed in North Street in 1951and bottles were added to production in 1953, and by 1954 the local newspaper proudly announced that unlike the rest of NSW, Grafton would have sufficient supplies of beer for the upcoming summer.
They even said Grafton would be the “El Dorado of beer lovers in NSW”.
The brewery continued to be cheered along by locals until January 1958 when the business suffered substantial staff cutbacks.
As it turned out it was not the local brewer’s fault, but the Sydney-based breweries who were flooding the Northern market with inferior product using cheap rail freight.
This issue even came to blows in the State Parliament when the premier, John Joseph Cahill, had to be dragged off a colleague by the member for Lismore Jack Easter.
Articles reported the premier and his colleague exchanged a number of blows “none of them apparently forceful”.
Sadly, Grafton lost the battle, and the brewery was eventually bought by Tooheys in 1961 and would spend most of its working days under the label, eventually closing for good in 1997.
Fast forward to 2019 and the historic complex was purchased by local businessman Rick Firth and his family, who with his son Jamie, have since set out to bring the complex into the 21st century, investing heavily in overdue maintenance, installation of a 300kw solar system, and recycling and repurposing the old timbers from the original brewery used throughout the complex.
Reopening at the end of 2025, almost 30 years since it closed, it is now trading as the Grafton Heritage Brewing Co. once again with the new family-friendly brewery featuring 12 brewing tanks producing up to 3,500 litres of beer each week and large open spaces paying homage to its industrial heritage
The bar has 14 beers on tap including their multi-award-winning Brick Tower Lager and Somervale Pale Ale, along with a range of limited and seasonal releases such as a Czech Dark Larger and a Red IPA, both winning awards at this year’s Royal Queensland Awards.
Rick said the reopening was a momentous occasion and the culmination of years of hard work.
“The Grafton Brewery first opened its doors in 1952, and now 74 years later we’ve reopened it with a whole new approach,” Mr Firth said.
“We started the journey to bring the historic building back to life seven years ago, so being able to brew beer and now provide a public space for people to enjoy is something very special.
“There is nothing like this anywhere I know, so it’s not only a great hangout for locals but a major drawcard for tourists to the area.”
The brewery includes an open bar area, large outdoor mezzanine, booth seating, and a VIP Red Room, with a kitchen featuring a tasty menu for lunch and dinner.
On top of the Grafton Brewing Co. beers, the brewery also offers products exclusively from Australian owned suppliers, and other independent distillers and manufacturers.
Opening hours: Wednesday 12pm to 9pm, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 10pm, and Sunday 12pm to 8pm.
