There is something telling about what a neighbourhood chooses to open next.
Gasworks Plaza has been home to some of Newstead’s most enduring venues — and this August, the former Botany site welcomes what may be its most anticipated new arrival: Neighbour by Range, the latest chapter from the team behind Range Brewing.
If you know Patio in Paddington or Rays in Camp Hill, you already understand the Range formula — community-first spaces that manage to feel genuinely local without the tired trappings of the standard Australian pub. Neighbour follows that blueprint, but with a distinctly Newstead edge.
The Third Space Newstead Was Missing
“We think that Newstead is actually crying out for a nice space like that,” says Range Brewing co-founder Matt McIver. “Where we can provide an elevated experience of food and drink while still maintaining that relaxed third-space environment.”
That concept — the third space, somewhere between home and work where people genuinely want to linger — has driven Range’s expansion since Patio first opened. Neighbour is described by the team as their most polished venue to date, with interior design by Kate McLean of Soma & Sol. Expect spotted gum timber linings, retro glass blocks lining portions of the bar, stainless-steel edging on tiled surfaces, and a design language that channels what co-founder Gerard Martin describes as a “suburban home in the middle of a concrete jungle.”
“With Neighbour, we want to go in the opposite direction to what we’ve done before — this one is a bit bolder and edgier, but it still has the bones of a classic Australian watering hole,” says Range’s marketing manager Isla Northey.
Why This Matters for the Precinct
The opening of a venue like Neighbour is not simply a food and drink story. It is a precinct story.
One of the consistent indicators of a neighbourhood’s sustained desirability is the quality and originality of its hospitality offering. Newstead and Teneriffe have built a reputation over the past decade that extends well beyond apartment buildings and river walks — it is a place people want to be in. Venues like Neighbour, Gauge, Bar Monte and Eva’s add texture and character that no amount of infrastructure investment can manufacture.
For residents of our buildings — Lucent, Le Bain, One Oak, The James, Luminare and the soon-to-complete Fontana — Gasworks Plaza is on the doorstep. The opening of a well-considered new local that sits comfortably between a quick midweek drink and a relaxed weekend afternoon is exactly the kind of addition that makes daily life in this precinct feel richer.
Neighbour by Range opens at Gasworks Plaza, Newstead, this August. We’ll see you there.
