Back in 2020, we welcomed a brand-new venue to the Newcastle West nightlife scene and it’s since been welcomed into the local hospitality industry with nothing but rave reviews and a cult-like following.

Like other hospitality businesses across the board, owners Adam and Craig have weathered the hardest few years in business and have not only brought The Rogue Scholar out the other end but have done so in style.

Having launched a new space in the midst of a global pandemic, the renowned Rogue Rooftop came to life in late 2021 and has been host to many a shindig since.

With more than two years of operating on their belt and a few sneaky whispers across town discussing the local brand’s expansion plans, we thought it was time to duck in and catch-up with the Rogue crew to hear what 2023 and beyond has in store.

The Rogue Rooftop 

What has got to be the most talked about rooftop in Newcastle, The Rogue Rooftop has consistently been bringing the vibes to town with their ongoing selection of events, and if you’ve been to one, you know just how good they can be!

“We’re doing a lot of ticketed gigs up there but we’re completely open to private events too. With enough notice we can do anything.”

Having been able to jump on the alfresco exemption that came through during lockdowns and has now been extended until at least December 2023, we know we’ve got at least another 12-months to make the most of this iconic space.

With plenty of events happening upstairs over the summer months including their iconic NYE party, Rogue Rocks New Year’s Eve. For full info click here, and to stay up to date with all the venue’s live music and events, click here.

The Rogue Scholar Expansion

For those that frequent Union Street in Newcastle’s West End, pass along King Street, or are ever having a yarn with The Rogue crew, you might have heard (or seen) the Blockbuster signs in the building next door…

Well, if you were thinking videotapes were making a comeback, you’re going to be incredibly disappointed because The Rogue Scholar is making plans to expand their current offering into a much larger space.

“The space next door will be an extension of what we’re already doing here at Rogue Scholar, just basically more space. Nothing will really change in terms of what we have already, we’ll just expand into the building next door.”

With no set timeline on when the expansion will be launched, all we can say is to watch this space… 

The Rogue Scholar Live Music Venue

It’s not news that Newcastle’s live music scene is limited when it comes to venues, and with The Cambridge set to close mid-next year, Adam and Craig have been working on getting their own dedicated live music venue off the ground.

“We’re just full every single Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night and we want to keep supporting live music. This is a 120 venue here and the live music scene is so great and there is so much talent in Newcastle. We’ve been looking at an opportunity to open up something that’s at that 200-300 capacity.”

Getting their hands on the building of the corner of Union St and King St, the Rogue Scholar crew is aiming to open the new space in line with next year’s West Best Bloc Fest set to kick off over the October long weekend.

We’ll be watching this space incredibly closely over the next 12-months so do stay tuned for what’s to come! Want to be amongst the first to know when HUNTERhunter gets the low-down? Sign up for our e-newsletter here.   

Wild Yeast Zoo

Last but certainly not least, Rogue Scholar has collaborated with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology (CoESB) and the Bacterial Regulation and Transport Laboratory (BRaTlab) on a project that will be the first of its kind here called the Wild Yeast Zoo.

“We will have students and volunteers going out into the wild to collect flora and fauna. They’ll take it back to the lab, flick out the bad bits and keep the good bits with the aim to create a wild yeast and make a wild beer from it.”

Commercially, wild yeast does currently exist, but this project will see the collaborative efforts bring a new unique yeast to the table.

“We have just done our first iteration of the beer using the commercial wild yeast. We’ve pulled some strands as a bit of a baseline to start with called the Wild Scholar. It’s still very much a work in progress but it has the potential to be massive.”

You can follow along with the Wild Yeast Zoo journey over on their Instagram and website here.

The venue may have some incredibly exciting projects for us all to look forward to into the new year, but for the time being, we suggest just heading on over to the Newcastle West venue and enjoying a beer or two, getting along to a gig, and being a part of this already iconic local hospo venue.