St Helens’ popular social venue Easy Tiger has re-launched after a significant revamp.
The upgrades are set to make the venue an even bigger drawcard for visitors to the state’s East Coast, with the project including a bigger micro-brewery, new eateries, a beer garden, live music space and a boutique cinema.
Easy Tiger Managing Director Jason Unwin said the venue, which opened 18 months ago, has seen a surge in visitors since the addition of two restaurants in recent months.
“With all of the modern bits and pieces, free Wi-Fi, stuff like that, I think it really is a fit for really any regional town,” he said.
“It certainly hasn’t taken locals very long to really fall in love with it.”
Unwin said the venue currently employs around 30 people, including staff from the two restaurants.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff visited the venue today and praised the “fantastic” new offering for the East Coast.
“People are wanting to come to the Easy Tiger for what it has. A microbrewery, a beautiful craft beer, we’ve got the cinema there for all families, we’ve got a beautiful live entertainment,” he said.
“This is a destination in itself.”
East Coast Tourism CEO Grace Keith said the venue has been a “great boost” for St Helens, providing locals and visitors with a new option to enjoy outside of the popular mountain bike trails.
“It means there’s something to do on the weekends for people to go and enjoy those then come for a meal and enjoy a get-together at the bar with the brewery and have something different.”
The redevelopment was supported by a low-interest loan through the state government’s Tourism Development Loan Scheme, which encourages investment in projects that boost regional tourism.
“We know that visitors are enjoying our regions for longer and they’re spending more, with data showing visitors inject $3.5 billion to our economy each year,” Rockliff said.
“By backing ventures like Easy Tiger and the many other quality food and beverage establishments we have around the state, we are supporting tourism and recreation attractions so we can get more people out spending in more regions for longer.”
