The heart of Bangalow Village
Since 1910 the Bowlo has been where Bangalow comes together. Then, in October 2025, the doors closed. This is the story of a town that hasn't stopped showing up for it.
A place for everyone
You didn't need to be a bowler to belong at the Bowlo. You just turned up.
Grandparents rolled a few ends while grandkids ran riot on the grass. Bangalow Netball trained there from 2013. Friends met for a counter meal, families marked birthdays, and newcomers found their people. It was affordable, unpretentious and completely ours.
When it closed, Bangalow didn't just lose a venue. It lost the one place where the whole town — every age, every walk of life — could share a table.
Wednesdays to Friday nights
Pennant and social bowls on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. Friday night raffles raising money for the local soccer, rugby, cricket, netball and angling clubs.
And when the sun went down, the verandah lights came on and the whole town seemed to wander in.
Every kind of celebration
Music and dance nights, family celebrations, functions, wakes and community fundraisers.
The hall and the lawn hosted the moments that make a town, under a mural of the bowlers who came before.
Where Bangalow's music lived
A mini documentary by filmmaker Mark Tipple for Daybed Records, on the Bowlo's place in the region's live music scene.
Our Bowlo, back home
Open the doors
Get the Bowlo open again — the greens, the bar, the kitchen and the lawn, back in use by the people who love them.
Community hands
A club run by and for Bangalow, with locals at the table deciding its future.
Protected for good
Recognise the Bowlo's heritage so the next generation gets the same backyard we had.
In their own words
Locals, members and kids on what the Bowlo means to them. Tap a face to start watching.