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02 4349 7799

The great story of Mingara

From humble beginnings, we’re still here making life great!

Mingara

A timeline of our history

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

1971

19 locals gathered in the lounge room of Clive and Shirley Hadley at Berkeley Vale. The meeting, chaired by Shirley, identified the need for a local community club.

1972

The allocation of Crown Land to build a club house was granted. In July, it was agreed to call the Club “Mingara” - the good spirit that controls the clouds.

1973

Now with 200 members, the Crown Land allocation at Adelaide St Tumbi Umbi was confirmed. Major clearing was needed and members were only too happy to help

1976

After a lot of hard graft and the purchase of 2 old army huts, the first club house was officially opened. A $30,000 loan was secured to renovate the old huts.

1978

By now, the club was in full swing with the ingenious and infamous ‘keg book’ keeping track of members’ drinks. All while $62,000 was raised for new bowling greens.

1979

In July, Mingara’s liquor licence was approved. The beer and wine began to flow and the first ‘pokies’ appeared. The Club’s weekly takings increased from $3k to $22k!

1980

With rapidly growing popularity, the need for a new larger club was evident and, after many attempts, a $500,000 loan was secured to build a new 1600m2 club.

1981

In April, the 1st stage of the new Club was opened. Popularity soared as takings increased from $48 to $205K/month! Mingara was truly cemented in the local community

1981

In October, Governor General, Sir Zelman Cowen opened the finished Adelaide St club. He congratulated Mingara on "a remarkable achievement within the space of very few years."

1987

Looking ahead to the future and backed by continual growth, Mingara purchased land on Wyong Rd at Tumbi Umbi. Meanwhile, the annual turnover of the Club was $6.7 million and had 45 team members.

1991

Despite the purchase of the Wyong Rd site, a further $900K was injected into the Adelaide St club with new function spaces and gaming lounge.

1995

8 years after the Wyong Rd land purchase, soil was turned, construction started and excitement built about the scale of the new club

1996

On 28 October, Mingara opened the doors of the Wyong Rd Club. Huge crowds and great excitement saw the club boasting a cutting edge resort-style interior, become a Central Coast icon.

1996

Alongside the Club, the new leisure centre with 50m and hydrotherapy pools, rapid river ride and gym facility became the start of a leisure and health hub on the Central Coast.

2000

Continuing the strong commitment to leisure facilities for the Coast, the Club started construction of a new Regional Athletics Centre. The state-of-the-art centre opened in November.

2003

After a major $15 million facelift, Mingara unveiled not only a new interior, but a new logo and positioning statement of ‘Life’s Great,’ which continued the Club’s growth through to 2019.

2006

In 2005, The Westport Club, Port Macquarie was identified as an important local club with deep roots in the local community - a club sharing Mingara’s values. An amalgamation was successful and the Mingara family grew

2007

In 2007, more renovations took place at Mingara with the opening of Indigo - Eats, Treats & Bar, Ming Dragon and Fortune Cookie Noodle Bar offering 3 new dining choices for members.

2008

In October 2008, construction of a new fitness facility, Mingara One, was completed. The centre provides Central Coast locals with some of the finest facilities in the Country.

2009

Following the success of the amalgamation with The Westport Club. Mingara was able to breathe new life into Roselands Bowling Club and Punchbowl Ex-Services.

2009

After amalgamation with Roselands and Punchbowl, a decision was made to transfer the Punchbowl members to Roselands due to a very aged club house.

2010

As diversification steamed ahead, Mingara realised it needed a support system for its venues. Mingara Leisure Group was born and helps to support all destinations.

2011

The $15 million project for the construction of Lantern Club began in October. The new club was a long awaited shining light for Punchbowl and Roselands members.

2012

In 2012, another club was added to the Mingara family. The Gordon Rugby Club became Pearl Club Chatswood providing an intimate boutique style club for Chatswood locals.

2012

Lantern Club excitedly welcomed in members and guests as it threw open its brand new doors in November. The state-of-theart club was an instant hit.

2016

Spreading its wings even further, Springwood Sports Club on The Blue Mountains underwent amalgamation with Mingara. The club has been a stable in the local community since the 1930s.

2017

The Westport Club undertook a $13 million renovation which was completed in early 2017. The club created Jimmy’s Bar & Lounge, Hastings Coffee Co. and a revamped Aqua restaurant.

2017

Although only 8 years old, Springwood Sports Club needed some finishing touches and receive a $1 million refresh to allow for new, larger events spaces as well as a brand new Players’ Lounge.

2018

It was now Mingara’s turn to receive a much needed renovation. The building which was over 20 years old embarked on the start of a vast refurbishment program, which has started to completely transform the Club.

2019

In September, Mingara Leisure Group was officially successful in its application to amalgamate with The Greens, The Entrance. Mingara’s vision, community focus and expertise will help this small club remain part of its local community.

2020

On 6 March, 2020, an electrical fire ripped through The Greens, The Entrance. Extensive damage of the club occurred, forcing its closure. A rebuild program is currently underway.

2020

26 March, our entire industry and all Mingara Leisure Group Clubs were forced to close their doors due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. After several months of shutdown, our clubs were allowed to reopen in June.

2022

On October 26 we held our belated 50th birthday celebrations. It was a great night reminiscing on key events in our history.

Mingara is more than just a club, it is a monument to a group of ordinary but dedicated people who strived for and reached a goal to benefit their community.

Back in the 1970s, the Central Coast was a relaxed holiday haven with limited recreation and sporting facilities for the local community. Berkeley Vale, Tumbi Umbi and surrounding areas were under-developed and the community was crying out for places to go.

A visionary group of neighbours came together and formed a working party to identify community need and the types of facilities that would benefit the area…

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