Avoid this place – terrible service and even worse management I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience was so bad that I feel I need to warn others. The service was a disaster from start to finish, and when we politely raised concerns, the manager (Kelly) was unbelievably rude—so much so that she made my girlfriend cry. Here’s what happened: • We were overcharged at the bar (charged extra for cream on a risotto we specifically ordered without cream) which we let slide. • Our buzzer never went off, and a staff member later told us they “thought” our food was sitting in the kitchen. By the time we picked it up, it was cold. • One of our pasta dishes was completely different from what we ordered. It was supposed to be a creamy pesto linguine but came out as a watery, bland tomato-based dish with no pesto at all. My girlfriend couldn’t eat it, and I struggled through a couple of bites before giving up. • My risotto was a disaster—undercooked, gluggy, and honestly one of the worst meals I’ve eaten out in Australia in many years. I got through almost half and only cos I’d skipped lunch. • When we brought up the issue with the pasta, we were met with skepticism. Kelly, the manager, made us walk back to our table to prove it was wrong, then reluctantly threw $18 cash at my girlfriend instead of refunding it to her card. When she walked away, Kelly loudly made rude comments across the room. This wasn’t just bad service—it was outright disrespectful. Avoid this place unless you enjoy being overcharged, served bad food, and treated like an inconvenience.

The staff is never at reception desk so its very hard to get in

$25 to use a old and decrepit pool, haha what a joke, ripping off customers who only want to swim, they say you can use the gym for that one off entry fee of $25. Is someone meant to spend hours there doing pool work and gym work just to get their money worth. Yet another business who has had a revamp and passing the cost of that onto the loyal local community. Shame on you Coogee Diggers

Dropped in for a one off visit, still shown around and made to feel very welcome. Great facility

they did already respond to my first question, but the lack of certain equipment is pretty high, no smith machine, chest supported t bar row, no hack squats, and the seated row machine is so bad i can’t explain it please replace that with a chest supported t bar row! the sitting hamstring curls are horrible i spent 20 minutes trying to get the right contraction and seat placement but seems no one can get that to work to well, this is a good gym and ive been going for around a year now i love the pool, sauna and boxing room but there’s certain things many people would like to see

The sauna is great. But it requires renovation. Metal screws are not acceptable in sauna !

Very responsive to their employees (even former ones) concern.

Disgraceful conduct. Purchased something and then was flat out told that my purchase would not be honoured. Went into the gym for a workout with prepaid visits in my account. Guy at the desk tells me they stopped offering that service but would make sure to honour my previous purchase of 4 remaining visits. Couple days later I come back in and a different guy tells me my purchase has expired and that he can't honour it. He says there's no record of what happened a few days ago but I can see on his monitor that it shows my visit 3 days ago. He simply states that he's the GM and keeps repeating the same thing to me 5 times in hopes I give up on finding out what happened. Someone behind me in queue shows up and ends up having the same problem as me so the gm shuffles me along with one complimentary workout and tells me that next time I have to pay. Poor bloke behind me probably didnt even get that much.

The security guard called Pat is such a top bloke, Was very helpful and very professional at his job. Would highly recommend this venue. Place is very clean and hygienic. Other staff and managers are very welcoming. Will be coming back next year sometime.!!!

Good vibe, great atmosphere, but bar tenders were slow and rude. Place can use better crew.

Went for open mic on Sunday - perfect place and setting.

I used to be a regular as it is the closest place with a sauna. This despite the fact the whole sauna/indoor pool facility is far from being prime quality ( wood falling from the roof of the sauna, disconnected from the walls, broken showers, cockroaches in the relaxing area, tiles falling from the walls etc ) I never wanted to commit with an automatic bank transfer subscription therefore I used to pay for casual entrance ( for the not cheap price of $18.50 each ) or a 10 entrance pass which has increased considerably in the last 18 months ( from $100 to $130 to $150 ) . Then the 10 pass option has been canceled. The casual entrance has been pushed to $25. Now I understand the need to make some profit out of it but this seems a bit exaggerated considering the discrepancy between the prices and the facilities offered.

I went to the quiz at Coogee Diggers on Thursday 8th February 2024 (my second visit) after having attended for the first time back on Thursday 2nd November 2023 (my first visit). On my first visit, me and a friend won the $250 pub quiz jackpot ($250 loaded onto the CD membership card for you to spend). Neither of us had been again and we decided to go back to spend our winnings. We went to the bar and placed our food & drink order only to be told that there was a $0 balance on the card. We relayed back to the staff that we should have $250 and waited to speak to the manager. When she finally arrived (didn’t catch name but she was short with long brown hair) we explained the situation, showed the photo of us on the ‘Inquizition Magician’ Facebook page to prove we had won it and asked where the winnings was. She rudely answers with ‘so you’re telling me you haven’t been here since November’? …it’s not exactly my local or a must go to hotspot, so no I haven’t. She says she needs to speak to Ian (who runs the quiz? No idea - this made no sense either given the quiz was hosted by an Irish woman on the day we were there and I doubt Ian would have a clue as to who we were) and comes back 20 minutes later saying she couldn’t get through to Ian but as a gesture of goodwill she has loaded $125 onto the card. She explained that the card runs annually and all points expire at the end of the calendar year. We weren’t told this at the time and relayed this back to which she responds we would have got an email. Checked inboxes, no email in inbox or spam folder. The membership card also has only the year ‘2024’ stamped on it - no expiry or valid from date. We pointed this out to be met with silence. Word of warning if you do go here - if there’s an issue the manager is unhelpful and pretty rude, and you need to spend your winnings within the same year. Better still, go to a quiz elsewhere where you just get the money to spend wherever you like! Food and drinks are pretty cheap, with big portion sizes so that’s the only reason for it not being 1 star.

The food was great, the atmosphere was fantastic and the team was very friendly and helpful

Gym has been done up (well mostly) but some machines need replacing. swimming pool is ok, pool area is ancient but still ok to swim in, it's more the changing rooms that are pretty horrific! Cobwebs and all bright green! One massive annoyance, is staff never reply to emails, don't even bother sending one.

A good gym can’t deny that has everything you want ! Pool/ Sauna perfect. The only downside is the men’s bathroom, it smells like a slatted unit used for cattle, I guess it kinda reminds me of home being out in the farm in a sense but still something needs to be done over that horrific smell!

Great space, good atmosphere and fantastic equipment

I used to love coming to Water Aerobics here and is in fact why I joined the Club. It finished several months ago and there does not seem to be any interest in getting a new instructor and re starting the classes Why not contact the 20+ people who used to come regularly to water aerobics and see what they say. I think you will find that they are dissapointed in the class discontinuing. I am going to go somewhere else until it ? re-starts

If there is a machine that this gym doesn't have you flat out don't need it. It's fully equipped with everything, pool, sauna, weights, functional area.

It's being transformed into a giant gymnasium not much of a community club anymore, food not reliable with consistency and overpriced local restaurants at The Spot better value.

We come here every Thursday for trivia. Food is amazing quality and reasonable prices, especially with the membership. Only downside is I wish the gym wasn’t so expensive / had the fitness passport!

Angi at the swim school is fantastic. So organised and helpful. Thank you!

Nice staff, reasonable prices and clean venue. Highly recommend

Great deals. Great food. Underrated.

Nice gym new equipment, they have used the area really well and some good thought has gone into the design. I understand if the gym is still under renovation, however the mens toilets in the pool area are disgusting. As soon as you walk into the room you can smell the urinals, I am not sure if they clean them or its the product they are using but I do hope the bathroom issue is sorted soon. Also they need an exit button for people who are only doing a one day session, the receptionist was closing the pool and three people couldn't get out past the gates because they didn't have members cards.

Honoured a refund request when an email was missed, friendly staff

Fantastic Rennovation , food better than ever , and now membership is FREE !

Nice club. Quite new. No views. Decent food. Pokies downstairs.

Attended the facility for a workshop. It was clean, bar, bistro and gym upstairs with gambling facilities downstairs.

Gym equipment and area is average. Like others have said there is next to zero fresh air circulation downstairs. Management don't want to spend money on it hence the price. But working out in a sauna like environment isn't worth it even if it was free. Such a shame because it could be 10x better with aircon or fresh air.

Friendly staff and lots of gym equipment

In the past I have used this pool / sauna facility and found the sauna smelly ( body odour smell ?) suggesting the sauna needs a more regular scrub / clean. I have now also decided to stop going there as they unfortunately they do not accept the Fitness Passport Card at entry. Lots of gyms / pools in Sydney ( eg. Maroubra Seals, Wylies, Fitness First ) accept the Fitness Passport card , so its disappointing this RSL club has not got its act together and organised for its members/ visitors use their Fitness Passport card for payment.

I am really disappointed with this gym. I joined several months ago and since then, there have been several issues. The first issue was with their payment system and inability to process my payments via a Savings account and then trying to charge me 'late payment' fees a number of times - to which I obviously disputed. And secondly, despite being newly renovated, the downstairs area of the gym has very little to no natural air ventilation and NO aircon at all. The heat has been unbearable and it is also a serious health and safety issue. Despite a number of emails from myself and my partner, they have not responded or addressed the issue at all (with weeks between emails and follow ups). Honestly the worst customer service I've ever experience!

First time at the bistro last night and we were really disappointed by how dirty the place was. Our toddler was given a cup with lipstick still on it. The tables, cutlery and floor were all dirty too. We ordered food and it the quality was really poor. The risotto had no taste and the tacos were stale. I don't write this to throw shade, but rather in the hope that a venue can achieve its potential to be great.

Great community bar but giving it one star to bring attention to the Diggers needing security on Fridays and Saturdays. I saw bartenders struggle to deal with violent patrons who threatened them. They shouldn't have to deal with that.

Diggers promised to finish the renovation of facilities shortly after sign up but this was not done for months. Equipment either in poor condition or not working. Staff rude, and hostile to members. No, or late, response to basic requests. Change rooms had really bad mould and lockers (meant for valuable) could be opened easily simply by pulling the door for 5 seconds. Really regret joining. Last straw was being

We held my daughters birthday party here and we are really happy with the way the manager Peter Gallagher handled the entire event. They were very accommodating with everything- such as letting us in early to set up the decorations etc. The food was also really good. The pricing was very reasonable. All the guests remarked on how well the function went. Highly recommend!

Management forgot to put staff on the down stairs bar… so I served myself.. Not good… sort it out Coogee diggers… I love this place Last night, No security on the place, and a guy runs around the place with his genitalia hanging out… don’t bring you missus here when it’s busy..

Coogee gem

Great club, great staff. The chef needs to do better with dietary choices on the menu though...

The Diggers in Coogee is a bit of a local institution which provides affordable access to a number of useful facilities. To get the best prices on services you need to be a member, which costs about $10 annually last I checked. The gym at the diggers is surprisingly awesome and improving all the time, incredible value; they’re most of the way through a huge extension and renovation which has taken it from an afterthought to being one of the best equipped gyms I’ve seen in Sydney. Apparently the England Rugby team trained here recently. The swimming pool is fairly basic but offers 5 or 6 lanes and a swim school; my kids have lessons there, there is no provision for kids recreational swimming so they get that half hour and then have to dry themselves and leave, rather than enjoy the water. There’s a sauna too. For family swimming fun, Des Renford or Gunyama are much better bets vaguely in the local area. The restaurant and bar is functional and has a pleasant internal courtyard with fresh air. Pick the right (or wrong, depending on your goals) weeknight and there’s a throng of kids from the local school and daycare playing together while their families have dinner. The food is variable quality and my wife has had a couple of meals that have not agreed with her there… but it’s pretty cheap and popular for our kids to have a quick dinner out as a treat after school. There’s the obligatory pokies area tucked away downstairs and a TAB area upstairs at the opposite end of the floor to the family dining area - I’ve never been into either of them, and have opinions generally on gambling being so prominent in a place where families gather together… but that’s an Australian thing, not limited to the Coogee Diggers!

Pretty bad that on the biggest night of rugby league, state of origin 3, the staff don't know how to change the TV's to play the game.... Seriously? Tv guide, ok, ok... Problem solved. But no keys leave it on the cricket that was two days ago. Next time figure out how to put the TV's in right channel BEFORE the games start

The gym had been renovated and it's a great club, especially if your living locally in Coogee , there is a designated cardio room , all the weights machines, etc. The pool and change rooms are yet to be renovated, looking forward to see them refurbished.

Doesn't matter how good the food or drink is and how polite the staff. The speakers BLARE in every room including outside. They ripped my eardrums apart. Couldn't there be one spot without any speakers? Great venue otherwise. Whoops. Edit. The staff were kind enough to turn the outdoor speakers off. Good food too.

Great gym, although worst sound system only two speakers distributed which- music is always terrible and too loud making it hard to enjoy your own music. Such a big deal while working out.

The best gym in the world! the gym is renovated, with brand new equipment, an amazing space. The staff are very nice and the price is affordable. in addition to the prime location!

Great Bar, Bistro and live music too. Highly recommended.

Surprisingly good bistro for a RSL club. There were plenty of gluten free and vegetarian options and it was pretty tasty. The staff are great too. The pool and gym are getting a revamp currently and they'll be adding a plunge pool in addition to the existing very hot steam and sauna rooms.

Great place

Possibly the dirtiest gym and pool I have had the misfortune to join. Gym equipment never cleaned by staff sweat left all over the equipment. Boxing room should be closed down disgusting. Sauna steam room horrendous smell I rang the health department I don’t think they have done anything about it should be closed down.

Always great

First time here and was really happy with the on tap selection as well as the menu. VERY reasonable prices for what you get. Loved it

Love my local!!!

It used to be heaps better with the bunker downstairs. They replaced it with pokies.

Very nice atmosphere. Good pub meal.

The diggers is a great place to meet your friends for a bev and Thursday night trivia. They have relatively reasonable rates for the gym and classes etc. It lost 2 stars because the meals are expensive (but they are HUGE). I also really think it's a shame they got rid of the pinball machines in the bunker.

Been around for ages, good grub

Had not been there for a couple of year's the place is looking good and is very family friendly. Meals were excellent

Local Rsl club. The gym is very popular and can get busy during peak hours

Good food and great atmosphere.. quiz master was very good..

Fantastic menu, great choice of beverages and a very friendly staff, I would definitely recommend this club!

Hi Diggers, the below review is completely fabricated. I was at the bar with my friend and witnessed Adam Fairhursts behaviour. Your staff were nothing but professional and his behaviour was appalling. He was aggressive and there was no reasoning with him. He went back several times to abuse the bar staff. Just to add they were all wearing masks and after reading all his other reviews on google and complaints you’ll see how many issues he’s had at other venues and that it all sounds the same.

Stops serving food at early...

Love the diggers, it's what you'd expect from any rsl type club... Good honest food at value prices.