After three years closed, one of Newtown’s most iconic LGBT watering holes suddenly opened its doors again last night.

And while the Newtown Hotel’s management seem not to be going after our pink dollars, last night was busy with a “predominantly gay” crowd of around fifty, say Same Same readers who contacted us to let us know the good news today.

A few drinkers were a little put off by the bar’s “cheap and cheerful” new décor, however. The windows say ‘Freaky Tiki – For a limited time only’, and inside, there’s turf grass on the floor and flax on the walls.

“The guy behind the bar said it was their first night open,” a young gay Newtown resident tells Same Same today. “Apparently it will stay open for six months but then close for a complete refit.”

“The inside is currently decorated like there’s been an explosion in a Hawaiian $2 shop,” another local added.

A photo from last night at the Newtown Hotel is shown at right.

The venue, located on North King Street, had been closed since a lease dispute since November 2007.

The recent reopening of the nearby Imperial Hotel has seen many punters return to that refurbished gay scene hub in the past few months.

So is Newtown’s gay scene slowly rising up again?