Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club

What Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club does

Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club Ltd is a privately held, multi-faceted registered club incorporated in New South Wales, Australia (ABN 56 000 984 145), operating from a single integrated campus at Jason Avenue, Barrack Heights. Founded circa 1963, the business runs a 7-rink indoor bowling green, 3 outdoor greens, five distinct food and beverage venues (Red Sands Bar & Grill, Pizza Dal Verde, The Burger Box, Cowries Cafe, and the Lagoon Street outdoor precinct), gaming operations (3 Keno terminals plus TAB betting), a bottle shop (operated by Local Liquor), the Diamonds Reception Centre function venue, the Just Move Gym, and on-site holiday cabins under the Barrack Point Holidays brand. A sub-club structure hosts affiliated groups including women's bowls, darts, social golf, pensioners, and tennis.

The club monetises through a diversified transaction-fee and subscription model: small-ticket bowling sessions ($6-15), F&B covers ($5-20 including member-discounted weekly specials), gaming turnover, bottle shop sales, function hire, ticketed entertainment (sold via Ticketebo), and a social membership ($5/year or $10/3 years) that bundles discounts across all internal outlets plus partner properties. Underlying technology is conventional hospitality and club management infrastructure; there is no proprietary software, AI/ML capability, or external API. Distribution is exclusively on-premises at the Barrack Heights site, supplemented by website, email newsletter, social media, and local SEO.

The organisation is community-led and event-driven, investing in sustainability (414kW solar PV, the largest on any Australian club, delivering ~$160K annual cost savings) and contributing over $200,000 per year to 50+ local sporting groups, schools, and charities via the ClubGRANTS scheme. Leadership consists of CEO Phillip Kipp and a Board chaired by Rob Tynan with Paul Majkowycz as Vice-Chairman and seven additional directors. The club is home to world-ranked competitive bowlers including Corey Wedlock (3rd globally, 1st in Australia) and Gary Kelly (9th globally, 5th in Australia).

Name

Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club

Legal name

Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club Ltd

Website

https://warillabowls.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club is a privately held NSW registered club operating an integrated venue in Barrack Heights with bowling greens, five F&B outlets, gaming, a function centre, gym, and holiday cabins, serving local Illawarra community members, bowlers, families, and event organisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Registered Club Hospitality and Lawn Bowls Recreation

NAICS

Bowling Centers (71395), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Bars (CRANACAC)

Keywords

• Registered club hospitality
• Lawn bowls recreation
• Food and beverage dining
• Gaming keno TAB
• Function venue hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Warialda

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales: Revenue from multiple dining venues including Red Sands Bar & Grill, Pizza Dal Verde, The Burger Box, Cowries Cafe, and Lagoon Street outdoor area. Covers lunch, dinner, and café services.
2. Membership Fees: Social membership sold at $5 for 1 year or $10 for 3 years, providing access to club facilities, discounts, and member-only promotions.
3. Gaming (Keno & TAB): Revenue from Keno and TAB betting services, with multiple terminals and live sports coverage.
4. Bottle Shop: Local Liquor bottle shop operating 10am-10pm daily, selling alcohol for off-premises consumption.
5. Bowling Greens: Revenue from bowling green sessions, equipment hire, and coaching services across indoor and outdoor greens.
6. Events & Entertainment: Ticketed events including comedy shows, kids activities, dining experiences, and concerts sold through Ticketebo platform.
7. Function & Venue Hire: Diamonds Reception Centre and function spaces available for private events, weddings, and corporate functions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club is a registered club operating a multi-venue hospitality and bowling recreation destination in Barrack Heights, NSW. It delivers social membership, bowling greens (indoor and outdoor), barefoot bowls, five food and beverage outlets, Keno and TAB gaming, a bottle shop, regular entertainment and event programming, and function hire through the Diamonds Reception Centre.

Product overview

Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club is a multi-faceted hospitality and recreation venue operating as a single unified club with multiple distinct service offerings. The portfolio includes five food and beverage venues (Red Sands Bar & Grill as the main dining restaurant, Pizza Dal Verde wood-fired pizzeria, The Burger Box, Cowries Cafe, and the Lagoon Street outdoor dining space); bowling recreation facilities (a 7-rink indoor green and 3 outdoor greens, plus barefoot bowls bookings); gaming services (Keno, TAB, poker); entertainment and events programming; a bottle shop; and affiliated sub-clubs for darts, golf, tennis, and pensioners. The club operates a membership program providing dining and facility discounts. The various dining venues share the common club infrastructure while operating as distinct branded offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Red Sands Bar & Grill: Restaurant serving classic Aussie favourites, burgers, salads, seafood and more, open 7 days for lunch and dinner.
• Lagoon Street
• The Burger Box
• Pizza Dal Verde
• Cowries Cafe
• Diamonds Reception Centre
• Just Move Gym
• Barrack Point Holidays

Products and services

• Red Sands Bar & Grill The club's main dining venue serving classic Australian cuisine including burgers, salads, seafood and rump steaks, open 7 days for lunch (11:30am-2pm) and dinner (5:30pm-8pm). Targets club members and visiting diners.
• Pizza Dal Verde Wood-fired pizza restaurant offering hand-stretched pizzas made to order with gelato desserts, located in the Lagoon Street outdoor area of the club.
• The Burger Box American-themed burger restaurant located inside the Lagoon Street outdoor area, serving classic burger fare with sides on weekends.
• Cowries Cafe Cafe offering coffee, fresh gourmet rolls, snacks and sweet treats, open daily from 9am to 9pm at the club.
• Lagoon Street Outdoor dining space at the club featuring The Burger Box, Pizza Dal Verde wood-fired pizzas, craft beers and signature cocktails.
• Bowling Greens & Facilities Lawn bowling facilities comprising a 7-rink indoor green and 3 outdoor greens, offering coaching, social play, pennants competition and barefoot bowls bookings to members and visitors.
• Barefoot Bowls Casual lawn bowling experience for groups, available for bookings such as birthdays, anniversaries, engagement parties, hens days, bucks parties and corporate team building.
• Bottle Shop Bottle shop operated by Local Liquor on the club premises, offering alcoholic beverages for takeaway from 10am to 10pm, seven days a week.
• Keno & TAB Gaming offering at the club comprising three Keno terminals plus TAB betting services with two manned terminals, four electronic betting terminals, big screen TVs and full race coverage on SKY.
• Club Activities & Entertainment Regular entertainment programming at the club including UFC live fights, Monday and Wednesday night poker, Bingo Deluxe, Canasta & Mahjong, Trivia and various raffles.
• Events & Functions (Diamonds Reception Centre) Hosted ticketed events including comedy dining experiences, concerts, kids activities and themed dining events, plus function hire at the Diamonds Reception Centre for weddings, corporate events and private celebrations.
• Social Membership Program Subscription-based social membership sold at $5 for 1 year or $10 for 3 years, providing 5% cabin discount, 10% dining discounts at all venues, gym access and free bowls coaching to members.
• Sub-Clubs (Tennis, Darts, Social Golf, Pensioners, Women's Bowling) Affiliated sub-clubs including Warilla Women's Bowling Club, Darts Club, Social Golf Club, Pensioners Club and Tennis Club, providing organized social sports and tennis court hire at day and night rates.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water consumption reduced by 43%, electricity by 32%, gas by 4% since 2009, saving approximately $160,000 per annum.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Rana EnvironmentalcoreTechnology or IntegrationRana Environmental provides guidance to align the club towards sustainability as a core business management strategy, helping realize operational cost savings and reduce environmental footprint. The firm assists with sustainability initiatives including the Illawarra Sustainable Clubs Alliance.
• Illawarra Sustainable Clubs AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWarilla Bowls is an active member of the Illawarra Sustainable Clubs Alliance, collaborating with other clubs in the region on sustainability initiatives and best practices.
• Barrack Point HolidaysmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site holiday accommodation offering fully self-contained cabins. Members receive 5% discount. Located adjacent to the club premises.
• Diamonds Reception CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunction and event venue on the club premises, available for weddings, corporate events, and private celebrations.
• Just Move GymminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site gym facility. Full access included with club membership.
• TravelbugminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOn-site travel agency/bookings service available at the club premises.
• ClubGRANTS SchemecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegistered clubs scheme designed to ensure larger clubs contribute to front-line services and community support. Warilla Bowls contributes over $200,000 annually to community groups through this program.
• NSW Government Climate Change FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported the Sustainability Matters Project which reduced energy consumption by approximately 7% and resulted in water savings of approximately 9%.
• NSW EPA Bin Trim ProgramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWarilla Bowls participated in the NSW EPA Bin Trim Program, increasing waste diversion rate from 11% to 26%. Received $3,100 in funding from Bin Trim Rebate Program.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cabra-Vale Diggers: South-Western Sydney registered club offering bowling, dining, gaming, and entertainment with a similar member-driven F&B model, illustrating comparable bowling-club economics in a different catchment.
• Club Illawarra (Wests Illawarra): Unanderra-based registered club with multiple F&B outlets, gaming, events, and sub-clubs, directly competing for Illawarra family and entertainment spend.
• Corrimal RSL Memorial Club: Illawarra-based community club with dining, gaming, entertainment, and event facilities, competing for the same Northern Illawarra family and social member market as Warilla Bowls.
• Shellharbour Club: Regional registered club near Warilla in the Shellharbour area, offering comparable F&B, gaming, functions, and entertainment programming to overlapping member households.
• City Bowling Club Sydney: Inner-Sydney bowling-focused registered club with dining, gaming, and entertainment, providing a metropolitan peer reference for Warilla's bowls-plus-hospitality model.
• Dapto Leagues Club: A large registered club in the Illawarra region offering multi-venue F&B, gaming, bowls, and live entertainment, directly competing with Warilla Bowls for the same Illawarra membership base and discretionary spend.
• Windang Bowling Club: A nearby bowls-focused registered club on Lake Illawarra with similar bowling greens, dining, and gaming offerings, competing head-to-head for both competitive bowlers and casual barefoot bowls bookings.

Broad incumbents

• Wenty Leagues Club: Large Western Sydney registered club with multiple F&B venues, gaming, bowls, function centre, and entertainment; comparable in operating breadth and serves as a regional scale benchmark for Warilla's offerings.
• Mounties Group: Large multi-venue NSW registered clubs group (Mounties, Tradies, etc.) operating hospitality, gaming, bowls, fitness, and events at scale, representing the multi-site incumbent model Warilla could aspire to via amalgamation.

Others

• ClubNSW (industry body): Peak industry body representing NSW registered clubs; not a direct competitor but the key regulator-facing ecosystem participant shaping ClubGRANTS, gaming policy, and sustainability programs that materially affect Warilla's operating model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Warilla Bowls & Recreation Club