A couple of days ago we were in Narrandera, NSW and stayed overnight at Brewery Flat. Unusual name – and here’s why …

Oakbank Brewery

The red brick tower of the former Oakbank Brewery is a distinctive and prominent Narrandera landmark that stands ninety feet high beside the Murrumbidgee River, just off the Newell Highway.

The tower represents an industry that had its heyday in the Riverina between the 1890s and mid-1920s.

The brewery used a gravity fed method starting the brewing process at the top of the tower then moving through the different stages of production down the tower.

It was designed to move ingredients from the top floor downward through the brewing process (mashing, boiling, cooling, fermenting) to the bottom floor, saving energy and labor.

Can you believe that at its peak it was producing 20,000 gallons of beer & stout and 15,000 bottles of cordial DAILY?

The brewery was sold to Tooth’s in the 1920’s who shut down the brewing side of the operation but kept the cordial production going until the 1980’s.

It is now privately owned by a young family who have built an amazing modern home next to the tower with frontage to the Murrumbidgee River.

Meanwhile there is a wonderful camping area for travellers like us! It’s just off the Newell Highway, about a kilometre out of the town of Narrandera, has toilet facilities and river access – and it’s free.