On Friday night, October 25, Nowa Nowa held its inaugural “Pop-Up Pub”, run and managed by the community at the Nowa Nowa Community Hall.
The Pop Up Pub was the creation of the Nowa Nowa Futures Visitor Economy Working Group, as part of Nowa Nowa’s transition out of native timber harvesting.
The group, which is made up of community members, business owners, government representatives and researchers, had identified some key priorities, such as the feasibility of a pub or other hospitality business in the town.
Friday night was a great test, with more than 100 people attending the event and all expressing their desire for it to run again.
Some residents of Nowa Nowa had visited the newly reopened Mingling Waters on the way to the Pop-Up Pub, making the most of the unique situation in the town. Comments from attendees included: “When’s the next one planned?” and “It’s great to see so many people here tonight”.
Surveys are being conducted to establish what the next Pop Up Pub will look like.
Community members are encouraged to fill these out by dropping into the General Store, or by going online.
Nowa Nowa Futures project is funded by the Victorian Government’s Forestry Transition Program.
The project is designed to support businesses, workers and the community impacted by the end of native timber harvesting to plan for innovation, explore possibilities and create economic, environmental and social benefits that will create a sustainable future.
The Futures Project is led with community insights, passion and ideas and is using Smart Specialisation Strategy to analyse the Nowa Nowa area with the goal of creating a set of projects ready for investment.
The Nowa Nowa Futures project is managed by the Nowa Nowa Community Development Group and supported by the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action and RMIT University.
