Newcastle venue wins appeal to open until 3am

Newcastle’s Sydney Junction Hotel has been allowed by the NSW Supreme Court to continue trading until 3am before a court hearing to determine if it should pull hours back.

The Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) is trying to wind back the hours of the hotel, also known as SJs.

The court allowed the hours to remain until the next hearing in October.

According to state government statistics released in June, SJs is the most violent venue in NSW.

At the instigation of NSW Police, the ILGA began moves to pull back its trading hours to 1.30am for six of the seven days of the week.

The exception was Sunday when it closes at midnight.

Venue owner Campbell Mason immediately appealed, saying he was “disappointed and shocked” by the moves of the authorities.

On Saturday (September 29) the hotel will feature local house and trance DJ Brody Lynch as part of its regular sessions with Avid Entertainment.