A three-year noise battle between an eastern suburbs bowling club and neighbouring residents has come to a head after nearby home owners complained that loud music, birthday parties, late-night functions and disorderly patrons were disrupting life in one of Sydney’s most sought-after suburbs.
Liquor & Gaming NSW has issued Diamond Bay Bowling Club in Vaucluse with a formal warning over noise impacts from live entertainment and patron activity, but stopped short of imposing licence sanctions, ruling the legal threshold for an “unreasonable and serious disturbance” had not been met.
The dispute has become the first major test of the NSW government’s vibrancy reforms, which were designed to strengthen the state’s live music and hospitality sectors by giving greater protection to established venues facing complaints from residents.
The ruling follows an 18-month investigation triggered by 57 official complaints lodged since 2023 by one primary complainant, supported by eight neighbouring residents. The complaints alleged amplified music, DJs, live bands, bass vibrations and patron noise from weekend functions regularly disrupted sleep and “caused vibration to nearby residential buildings and infrastructure”.
Residents claimed the club had changed since the pandemic, evolving from a traditional community bowling club into an entertainment venue hosting DJ nights, live music, private functions and outdoor events that attracted younger crowds, forcing neighbours to keep windows shut, avoid outdoor areas and sleep with earplugs.
The club, which has operated on Old South Head Road since 1963 and typically trades until 10pm on weekends, strongly rejected those claims and argued the “order of occupancy” principle was firmly in its favour, given it had been operating in the area for decades before the lead complainant moved nearby about five years ago.
The club’s general manager Neve Storey said the club had spent more than $200,000 on noise mitigation measures after becoming aware of the complaints, including installing double-glazed windows, acoustic treatments, sound barriers, building upgrades and introducing operational changes designed to reduce impacts on neighbours.
“We ran in the red for two years to put money into the club to do everything we could to address the concerns that were raised,” she said. “We’re not a big RSL or a major club – it’s been very traumatic for a little club, the amount of scrutiny we’ve been under.”
Regulatory inspections of the venue revealed mixed findings.
Liquor & Gaming NSW conducted multiple covert observations of the venue, including inspections in late 2024 when officers found intoxicated patrons stumbling as they left the club, while others were seen running across the bowling greens, yelling, late at night.
The venue was also subject to separate assessments by Waverley Council environmental health officers, who concluded amplified music and patron noise were likely to be offensive inside nearby homes when windows were open.
However, Eastern Suburbs Police reached a different view, reporting that while music was audible from nearby locations, noise levels were comparable to those generated by other licensed venues in Sydney’s east and were not considered offensive.
In its submissions to the regulator, the bowling club argued one neighbour had been responsible for co-ordinating many of the complaints and had encouraged other residents to lodge reports with authorities.
The club also rejected suggestions it had become a nightclub, arguing it had expanded its food, beverage and entertainment offerings simply to remain financially viable and had never marketed itself as a dance venue targeting an 18-to-25-year-old demographic.
Storey said responding to the investigation had come at a significant financial and emotional cost through legal fees, consultant reports and staff resources.
“At one point we felt like we’d become the fun police, shushing customers at 9.30pm on a Saturday just so we didn’t inflame the situation any further,” she said.
“We’ve never had an alcohol-related incident. We’ve never had violence. We’ve never had sexual misconduct. How could we, as a small bowling club in Vaucluse, be the most complained-about club in NSW?”
Liquor & Gaming NSW acting director of hospitality and gaming operations Darren Duke, in his ruling, concluded the complaint could not be upheld under the legal framework introduced through the vibrancy reforms, which established a higher threshold for regulatory action against long-established venues.
While declining to impose additional licence conditions or other sanctions, Duke issued the club with a formal warning, saying it was intended “to formally remind the club of its obligations to minimise disturbance and ensure the operation of the club does not detract from the amenity of the surrounding community”.
NSW Night-time Economy Minister John Graham said the ruling demonstrated the intent of the government’s reforms.
“This ruling proves the days of moving in next to an established venue and complaining until it gets closed down are coming to an end,” Graham said.
“While this is a good outcome, this was a costly process for the venue, which shows there is still more work to be done to cut red tape and help our venues survive.”
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David Barwell is an urban affairs reporter for The Sydney Morning HeraldConnect via email.From our partners
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