History

Since 1975, give or take

Tom’s band The Lone Rangers playing on the plaza, 1975
Photo: Tom, via Flinders Flashback · permission pending

1975

Where it started

The Tav opened on campus in 1975 as a place for students to gather, and it quickly became a fixture of campus culture and student life.

Two students in bow ties at a microphone, early years
Photo: Stephen, via Flinders Flashback · permission pending

famous faces

The yard glass

Over the decades the bar has hosted more than a few notable figures, most famously former Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who drank a yard glass at the bar.

Two students at a table in the Uni Tavern, 1991
Photo: Nicole, via Flinders Flashback · permission pending

1980s – 1990s

The live music era

Through the ’80s and ’90s the Tav was one of Adelaide’s prominent live music venues, hosting iconic Australian acts like INXS, Icehouse and Powderfinger.

Pizza and snacks on the kitchen pass

2016

The Burger Theory takeover

In early 2016 Flinders alumni Rob Dean and Dan Mendelson, co-founders of Adelaide fast-food favourite Burger Theory, took over the Tav and re-energised the menu with gourmet burgers, craft beer and Detroit-style pizza.

Students at the high tables by the windows

today

Still the campus local

It’s still a campus bar, function space and community hub: views across the hills, study-break lunches and social events all year round.

From the archive

Two students by the Uni Tavern windows, 1991
by the big windows, 1991Photo: Nicole, via Flinders Flashback · permission pending
O-Week clubs day, 1989
o-week clubs day, 1989Photo: Richard, via Flinders Flashback · permission pending
A Flinders Uni revue sketch
the uni revuePhoto: Stephen, via Flinders Flashback · permission pending
Lunch by the Plaza, 2003
lunch by the plaza, 2003Photo: Patricia, via Flinders Flashback · permission pending