AUSTRALIA
EXPLORING THE GREAT INDOORS Years of planning came to fruition in 2015 when, thanks to an extensive renovation, the Riverdeck Café in Albury invited patrons to dine inside for the first time.
Located on a horseshoe bend of the iconic Murray River, the Riverdeck Café is part of Noreuil Park – one of the town’s most popular destinations. Despite this popularity the café was previously limited to only opening in the warmer months. With outdoor seating only the great views and food were strictly seasonal fare.
Saturday nights, the café now provides a great meeting place yearround. It was a big project.
Now, with indoor seating for up to 120 guests, it can be open every day of the year, rain or shine. For owner Alex Smit the renovation was all about extending the restaurant for the benefit of staff and the local community.
For Alex the appeal of the restaurant is due to two key factors: its beautiful location, and its contemporary, Modern-Australian menu.
Now open every day, and with a dinner service from Thursday to
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“We essentially rebuilt the whole kitchen area and then expanded the seating and covered it into a building,” says Alex. While the renovation project was privately funded the Riverdeck Café’s status as a tourist destination for the area also meant it was also successful in obtaining funding from Destination NSW.
“We have a phenomenal location. The park acts as Albury’s ‘beach of sorts’ in summer, and we’re also very close to the CBD, so customers don’t need to travel far to get here,” he says.