GMHBA Stadium and Kardinia Park — Same Ground, Two Names
If you're searching for pubs near Kardinia Park, you're searching for the same ground. Kardinia Park is the historic name — used since 1941 by Geelong locals and still the official name of the parkland reserve at 370 Moorabool Street, South Geelong. GMHBA Stadium is the current commercial naming-rights name for the stadium that sits inside Kardinia Park — held by GMHBA Health Insurance since 2015. Cats fans use both names interchangeably; the AFL fixture lists it as GMHBA Stadium.
Either way you find this guide, the four pubs below are the verified game-day options within walking distance of the gates. Barwon Club is closest — 500 metres south on Moorabool Street. The CBD pair (Elephant & Castle, National Hotel) sit 1.8km north of the ground on the same street, which makes the Moorabool Street walk the natural game-day route end-to-end.
At a Glance
| Venue | Distance | Opens | TAB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barwon Club Hotel | 500m · 6-min walk | 11am daily | Yes |
| Valley Inn Hotel | 1.1km · 14-min walk | 10am daily | No |
| Elephant & Castle | 1.8km · 22-min walk | 10am daily | No |
| National Hotel | 1.8km · 22-min walk | Tue–Sun from 11am | No |
South Geelong: Closest Pubs to the Stadium
GMHBA Stadium sits on Moorabool Street in South Geelong, and the two best pubs for game day are right on the same corridor. Barwon Club is 500 metres from the gates — you can walk straight there after the final siren. Valley Inn is a few blocks away on Fyans Street and opens earliest of any pub in the area. Both are a genuine upgrade on the stadium concourse.
Barwon Club Hotel
The Barwon Club is the natural game-day pub for GMHBA Stadium — it's been here since 1859, it's on the walk between the city and the ground, and it has everything a footy afternoon requires: TAB, multiple sports screens, a beer garden, a bistro and a proper bandroom for the post-game crowd. The South Geelong address means it fills with pre-game drinkers arriving from both directions — Melbourne visitors coming in on V/Line and Geelong locals parking up in the suburb.
The TAB makes it the best choice for anyone putting money on the game. On Fridays and Saturdays the Bandroom hosts touring bands from 9pm, which means a night game at the stadium naturally rolls into a live music evening here. Walk: from the pub's front door to the stadium gates is six minutes. More South Geelong pubs →
Coming in on V/Line? The walk from Geelong Station to the Barwon Club is about 15 minutes south on Moorabool Street, with another 6 minutes from there to the gates — call it 25 minutes door-to-door, and the same on the way back. Our Pubs Near Geelong Train Station guide walks the full V/Line radius and flags the last sensible train back to Southern Cross — book it before the bounce, not after the final siren.
Valley Inn Hotel
Valley Inn is a dedicated sports bar that opens at 10am every single day of the week — including Sunday and public holidays — which makes it the first proper pub open near the stadium for any 1pm or 1:45pm bounce. Multiple screens broadcast AFL, NRL, cricket and racing simultaneously across the bar and the alfresco area. There's no TAB on-site, but the pure sports-watching focus means the screens are always on and the kitchen keeps moving through the whole game.
Valley Inn stays open until 1am every night — the most consistent late-night option in South Geelong after a twilight or evening game. The bistro covers pub standards without pretension. If you want a locked-in sports bar close to the ground without the crowd noise of the Barwon Club on a busy Friday, Valley Inn is the quieter call. More South Geelong pubs →
Geelong CBD: 20-Minute Walk from the Stadium
The CBD is 1.8km from GMHBA Stadium — about a 20–22 minute walk down Moorabool Street, or a short drive/Uber. On game days the CBD pubs are a solid option if you want to eat a proper meal before heading to the ground, or if you're arriving by V/Line and want to drop your bags and get a drink before the long walk south. Both Elephant & Castle and the National Hotel are serious game-day pubs in their own right.
Elephant & Castle Hotel
Established in 1891, the Elephant & Castle is Geelong's go-to CBD pub for Cats game days. Multiple sports screens run through the bar on match days, and the beer garden at the rear is a strong option when the weather cooperates. The kitchen runs a full bistro menu — useful if you want a proper meal before walking to the ground, rather than stadium chips. The pre-game crowd here fills early; arrive by 11:30am for a day game if you want comfortable seating.
Game day walk: Elephant & Castle to GMHBA Stadium is 22 minutes on foot — south down Moorabool Street the whole way, passing Barwon Club Hotel en route. It's a walkable game-day route that lets you tick off two pubs before you reach the gates. More Geelong CBD pubs →
National Hotel
Geelong's oldest continually licensed hotel, established 1856, with three full levels of drinking space — bar, mid-level lounge and a rooftop terrace. On game day the ground floor and mid-level both run sports screens; the sheer size means the National handles a stadium-sized pre-game crowd without maxing out. The kitchen does a full Modern Australian menu with table service through match-day hours.
The real advantage of the National for game day is the post-game program: live music runs Friday and Saturday nights from 9pm, which gives a twilight or evening game a clear next destination. The rooftop is the place to be post-final-siren in any weather that cooperates. Closed Mondays — check the schedule for Monday night games. Best live music pubs →
Geelong Football Pubs — Where Cats Fans Drink on Game Day
If you've searched "Geelong football pubs" looking for the venues that Cats fans actually use on game day, the four pubs above are the shortlist — verified walking-distance options for a Geelong home game at GMHBA Stadium / Kardinia Park. The pub culture around Geelong football is straightforward: Barwon Club is the closest pub to the stadium and the natural game-day anchor for Cats home games; Valley Inn is the South Geelong alternative with the longest trading hours (10am open, 1am close) for marquee games and post-game debriefs; the CBD pair (Elephant & Castle and National Hotel) anchor the Moorabool Street walk from the train station to the gates — both are pre-game lunch options and the National's rooftop is the post-game live-music room.
Three reasons these four are the Geelong football pubs and not other venues across the city: (1) all four sit on Moorabool Street, the spine that runs north from the stadium gates straight up to Geelong CBD — there is no other Cats home-game walk that lands you past so many verified pubs in order; (2) Barwon Club is the only one with on-site TAB, which makes it the only single-stop pub for fans who bet on the game alongside watching it; (3) the four cover the full game-day timing arc — pre-game lunch (CBD pair), gates-side warm-up (Barwon Club), and late-night post-game (Valley Inn 1am close, National rooftop Fri–Sat live music). Other Geelong pubs run the AFL on the bistro screens, but none of them are walking distance to the stadium gates.
For fans wanting to compare these four against the broader Geelong sports-bar list — including venues further from Kardinia Park with the AFL on the screens but not the foot-traffic to the gates — see the Geelong sports bars guide. For pre-game live music ahead of a Saturday night game, see the Geelong live music guide.
Game Day Timing Guide
GMHBA Stadium (Kardinia Park) is at 370 Moorabool Street, South Geelong. The Cats play home games from March to September. Here are three game-day plans based on bounce time and where you're coming from:
Arrive at Elephant & Castle or National Hotel in the CBD by noon for a pre-game meal. Walk south down Moorabool Street — it's the direct route to the ground. Stop for a beer at Barwon Club (509 Moorabool St) around 1:15pm; you're then 500m and 6 minutes from the gates. Valley Inn (Fyans St) opens at 10am if you want an earlier start slightly off the main drag.
Get to Barwon Club or Valley Inn by 5:30pm for a proper dinner and drinks before the game. Both venues are in South Geelong — easy walk to the stadium at 6:40pm. After the final siren: Barwon Club Bandroom has live music on Friday and Saturday nights; Valley Inn stays open until 1am. National Hotel in the CBD also runs live music Fri–Sat from 9pm if you want to walk back to the city.
Barwon Club is the natural post-game pub — it's on the walk back from the stadium, it has TAB for the late races, and it stays open until midnight most nights (1am Fri–Sat). Valley Inn runs until 1am every night of the week — the most consistent option if the final siren goes at 10pm and you still want another round. The CBD pubs are 20 minutes on foot if you're walking back to the station or a hotel. Late night pubs in Geelong →
Getting to Geelong from Melbourne
Geelong is an easy day trip from Melbourne — no car required for a Cats game. The two options:
Journey time: approximately 1 hour. Trains run frequently on AFL days — V/Line adds extra services on Cats home game days. Geelong Station is in the CBD, about 2km from GMHBA Stadium. Walk south down Moorabool Street (25 min) — the route passes Elephant & Castle, National Hotel and Barwon Club Hotel all in order on the way to the ground. Or take an Uber/taxi for the last stretch.
For a 1:45pm day game: aim for the 11:30am or 12pm train from Southern Cross. For a 7:10pm night game: a 5pm train lands you in Geelong by 6pm — enough time for a pre-game drink at Barwon Club before a 6:45pm walk to the ground.
Straightforward M1/Princes Freeway drive — exit Moorabool Street and head south. Allow extra time on game day; South Geelong and the CBD both fill up from 90 minutes before bounce. Paid parking is available in the CBD (Westfield and Moorabool St car parks) with a 20-min walk to the ground; some residential streets in South Geelong are available for street parking on match days but fill fast.
Note: if you're driving back to Melbourne post-game, Valley Inn's 1am close and the CBD pubs give you plenty of time to eat and wait for the post-game traffic to clear before the freeway.
Game Day Tips
- Barwon Club fills fast on big game days — if it's a finals week or a marquee interstate clash, arrive by 12:30pm for a 1:45pm bounce. The beer garden overflows and the TAB queue builds up.
- Valley Inn opens at 10am — the earliest pub near the stadium. Good for morning games, early arrivals, or anyone who wants a quiet start before the crowd builds elsewhere.
- National Hotel is closed Mondays — check the schedule if there's a Monday game in the fixture. CBD alternatives: Elephant & Castle opens daily.
- Walk the Moorabool Street route — CBD to stadium is a straight 22-minute walk down Moorabool Street. You pass Elephant & Castle and National Hotel at the top, Barwon Club halfway down. It's the original game-day walk and it's still the best one.
- Free Cats buses on game days — Geelong runs free shuttle buses between Geelong Station and GMHBA Stadium on home game days. Useful for the return trip after the game. Catch it at the station rather than walking if your legs gave out in the fourth quarter.
- TAB on-site — only Barwon Club has an on-site TAB among the four listed pubs. If you're betting on the game, that's your base. The other pubs have sports screens but no betting facilities.