Coming Soon: It's Time to Saddle Up Because Moon Dog Is Bringing Its Wild West Saloon, Complete with Mechanical Bull, to Geelong This Summer
The much-loved brewery is bringing its Wild West saloon to Geelong, featuring four bars, honky-tonk tunes and its famed mechanical bull.
Head west to Footscray and the sound of bucking broncos will undoubtedly lead you to Moon Dog Wild West — the brewery's 800-person, Wild West-themed bar that opened in the former Franco Cozzo building in 2024. Now, the same concept is going regional for the first time, with Geelong becoming the proud home of a second location. Don't worry, the OG's famed mechanical bull is coming for the ride.
Taking over the old Geelong Hotel at 69 Yarra Street, this historic setting is primed for a makeover. Fortunately, patrons won't have to wait long, with the venue expected to swing open its saloon doors for summer. Of course, the new location will have the full complement of Moon Dog's range, from tasty beers and Fizzer seltzers to boozy slusheez, ciders and more. Yet this sprawling spot is no ordinary watering hole, featuring four bars spread across two levels.
That means there's plenty of room to enjoy the venue's Geelong-leaning wine list or a selection of curated cocktails, including the Guavarama, served in an oversized cowboy boot glass. The food menu will be equally themed, with Western-inspired bites like jalapeno poppers, queso dip and a wide range of tacos, plus a chicken wing hot sauce flight stacked with five wings and five hot sauces — each spicier than the last.
Like the Footscray original, Moon Dog Wild West Geelong is more than just a place to catch up with pals to a country music soundtrack. The forthcoming venue will also feature its own mechanical bull, shipped all the way from Texas. With more than 75,000 riders trying their luck in Footscray, now is the time to show those city slickers who has the stones to ride this bucking bull into the history books.
Each weekend, the venue will also come to life with live music, as the upstairs dance floor is the place to be for honky-tonk tunes alongside a regular rotation of DJs and line dancing sessions. And with a capacity of 900 guests across the entire site, plus a long-term lease, Moon Dog Wild West Geelong is aiming to become one of the city's premier venues for a big night out.
"Our vision for doing a second Wild West just translated into the layout of the site so well. We can't wait to bring Moon Dog regional, and to be part of the Geelong community is going to be awesome," says Karl van Buuren, Moon Dog co-founder.
Moon Dog Wild West Geelong is expected to open this summer. Head to the website for more information.
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Images: Supplied.
