Footscray will soon turn into the wild west with the opening of the newest going out spot, Moon Dog Brewery.
Less than one year has passed since Maribyrnong council first denied the proposal to revamp the old Franco Cozzo space, amid safety concerns.
Now that is all well and truly in the past, as owner Karl van Buuren prepares for the grand opening next month.
“The build progress is coming along well, it’s a lot of work to do in a small time frame,” he said.
“But we’ve got the crew, we’ve got what we need and it’s going really well.”
And what better nod to setting up shop in the heart of the west, then to deck the venue out in a wild west theme.
“It just clicked, we are setting a pretty wild venue in Footscray and we thought it worked really well.”
Mr van Buuren said the 1088-square-metre Hopkins Road premises will be split into two levels.
Floor one will be designed ‘Old Town style’, with saloon doors, a bucking bull, painted murals and cactus galore.
While floor two will be “darker and grungier”, complete with neon lights and a stage situated behind chicken wire.
With no official opening date set in stone, Mr van Buuren suggests people circle March on their calendars.
“We’re really looking forward to opening up in Footscray in the western suburbs.
“Come down, have a look. I think people will really get a kick out of it.”