Old Bar is a quiet coastal town surrounded by National Park, on the Mid Coast of New South Wales.  It is home to the community Emergency Evacuation Centre located at Club Old Bar. 

History of the Old Bar community 

Old Bar Beach Bowling Club was founded in December 1967. It was later established in 1971 as a social and recreational hub for the local Old Bar community.  It services the vast area between Old Bar, Oxley Island, Mitchell’s Island, Manning Point and Taree. It provides entertainment, dining, and sporting facilities to residents and visitors in the area. 

When the bushfires hit in 2019 

During the 2019-20 bushfires, there was no access to or from the Pacific Highway and Old Bar was cut off from civilisation for several days. Fortunately, residents were able to access the Club Old Bar Evacuation Centre as their haven while they waited the fires out. 

A number of towns along the mid coast of NSW were hit with the bushfires in November 2019. While the fire in Old Bar concentrated on the thick bush land surrounding it, it was a frightening time for the community. 

Supporting the community with 2 grants 

The Old Bar Beach Bowling Club was awarded funding as part of the: 

• Preparing Australian Communities Program - Local (PACPL) and,  
• Black Summer Bushfire Recovery (BSBR) Grants Program. 

The PACPL helps communities to better plan for disasters and strengthen community resilience against future bushfires, tropical cyclones and floods. 

The PACPL funding of $689, 892 has helped improve the resilience of the Old Bar Emergency Evacuation Centre. Upgrades included replacing the roof, air conditioning units, solar panels, shower facilities, including an accessible toilet and shower amenities and more. 

The BSBR Grants Program helps communities to recover from the 2019-20 Black Summer Bushfires. Under the BSBR, the Old Bar Beach Bowling Club received $165,000 for a 650 KW generator. The generator provides continuous and sustainable electricity supply to ensure continuity of essential services for the Old Bar Beach community. This was completed by 31 December 2023. 

These upgrades have better prepared the community of Old Bar for any future disasters.