Meet Tim McCrohan of The Railway Dog

Tim McCrohan, owner of The Railway Dog had a vision for an intimate bar and place for locals and visitors to meet up with friends. He could see his vision come to life when he recognised the group his family bought land from in Gembrook happened to be the same developers of a new strip of shops being built in Emerald that he was eyeing. The idea of a bar & Tim's concept was liked by the developers and it took two years before the first sod of soil was turned in 2018. Tim was in a band at the time and originally thought to name the bar related to music but nothing stuck. Talking with his wife Jo they turned their thoughts to naming the bar around a local story. In less than 1 minute, Jo came across the Railway Dog and it instantly resonated with both of us and became the name of our venue.

The building was slow and then Covid hit early 2020. Whilst everyone & thing was in lockdown we started the fit-out and built the bar, which is a predominant feature of the venue. We eventually got to open very briefly in Dec 2020, and were then faced with brief moments of opening & closing for what seemed forever.

The Railway Dog has developed into a location for the people, the people who come and the people we employ. Loyalty from the community, and an intimate place the same time to catch up with friends.

The Railway Dog supports, showcases and sells beer, wine & spirits from local producers. Their menu features bar meals & snacks such as pizzas, burgers and parma's.

Music is also a key feature of the Railway Dog. Tim's background in the music industry and connections with musicians such as Jason Vorherr, one of the most sought-after Australian bass player/songwriters, The Railway Dog features live acoustic music by well-known artists every Friday, Saturday & Sunday and is soon to start an Open Mic Night which will run every Thursday.

The Railway Dog is open Tuesday to Sunday and located at 5/329-331 Belgrave-Gembrook Rd, Emerald