The Motorist Distillery is a bar and small distillery in Gembrook’s former motor garage at 77 Main Street. It occupies the previous Motorist Museum site, bringing regional drinks, potato vodka and a social beer-garden setting together with motoring memorabilia. The building’s workshop character remains part of the attraction, but a visit now centres on hospitality rather than a formal museum tour.
A Garage Full of Local Character
Vintage signs, mechanical objects and historic photographs give the interior the feel of a country workshop adapted for an afternoon with friends. Salvaged materials and a substantial timber bar reinforce the automotive theme, while the displays connect with Gembrook’s logging, railway and potato-farming past. Look at the objects as part of the room rather than expecting a labelled exhibition with a prescribed route.
The earlier garage history also survives in the rear setting, where reporting describes a replica of the original building. Ask which areas are available during your visit and leave time to notice details between ordering a drink. The collection is integrated into the venue, so the number and type of objects accessible can differ from the former museum experience.
Potato Vodka and Regional Drinks
The distillery makes vodka from locally grown potatoes, linking its product with one of Gembrook’s longstanding agricultural industries. The production setup is at the front of the venue, adding interest for visitors curious about the business. Seeing equipment does not guarantee a live demonstration or a guided production tour, so enquire first if that is the main reason for coming.
Craft beer on tap, local gin, rum, whisky and wine broaden the choice beyond the house spirit, with cocktails another way to enjoy the bar. Ask about the current selection and serving sizes rather than expecting every regional producer to be represented. Choose a drink for the flavour that interests you and arrange a driver or other confirmed transport if drinking.
Food, the Fireplace and Beer Garden
The venue offers more than standing at a bar: the local listing describes a pool table, a large fireplace and a beer garden for an outdoor drink. Those options let a group settle in at different paces, with the weather influencing where it is most comfortable to sit. Ask about a suitable table if arriving with several people or needing a particular route through the building.
Weekend food is connected with neighbouring restaurant The Independent. Its current ordering page asks customers placing an order for The Motorist to identify that destination, so confirm the procedure and service window before ordering. The restaurant’s takeaway timetable is not the distillery’s opening timetable, and a meal should be arranged around both rather than inferred from an old museum listing.
Combining a Visit with Gembrook
The Main Street address makes The Motorist a convenient part of a village outing, near Puffing Billy’s Gembrook terminus. If arriving by train, check how much time your actual service gives you before departure. A relaxed meal or drinks visit needs more room in the itinerary than a quick look at memorabilia.
Drivers can combine it with local shops or a walk around Gembrook, leaving enough time for the rural roads home. Keep food and transport arrangements clear if the group arrives separately. The venue’s heritage atmosphere is worth exploring even when not everyone wants alcohol, but ask about the day’s entry conditions if visiting with children or attending a scheduled performance.
Opening and Practical Arrangements
The regional tourism listing gives Friday-Sunday trading, and an operator post advertises opening from 1pm on those days, with variable closing times. Confirm the current date before travelling, particularly for an early visit or a plan tied to a train. Use the venue’s current updates rather than the former museum’s appointments, hours or ticket prices.
There is no museum-style admission charge for an ordinary bar visit; food and drinks are bought separately. The regional listing identifies family, pet and wheelchair facilities, but ask about the specific table, entrance and dog area you need rather than assuming every part of the historic building has the same arrangements. Contact the venue before organising a group or a visit dependent on those facilities.
The Motorist Distillery FAQs
Is The Motorist Museum still the visitor experience?
The former museum site now operates as The Motorist Distillery, a bar and small distillery retaining motoring memorabilia. Plan a hospitality visit rather than expecting the old admission system, appointment tour or complete vehicle collection to remain available.
What does the distillery produce?
Its vodka is made from locally grown potatoes, with other local and Victorian drinks also served. Ask about the current bar selection and any production-viewing arrangement, since seeing the equipment does not guarantee a demonstration during ordinary opening.
Can I order a meal?
Food is available through neighbouring The Independent on its trading days. Its ordering page asks you to identify an order for The Motorist; confirm the current procedure and timing so a restaurant takeaway window is not mistaken for the bar's hours.
When does it open?
The tourism listing gives Friday-Sunday, and the operator has advertised opening from 1pm with variable closing times. Check current updates for the date before travelling, especially if you have a fixed Puffing Billy return time.
Is there a museum entry fee?
An ordinary bar visit does not use a museum-style admission fee; purchases are charged individually. A scheduled event may have its own arrangements, so check that listing rather than applying casual entry conditions to every performance.
Can I bring children, a dog or a visitor needing accessible entry?
The local tourism listing identifies family, pet and wheelchair facilities. Discuss the actual seating, entrance and pet area in advance, and confirm any event-specific conditions rather than treating those labels as unrestricted access throughout the historic venue.
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