‘Save the Cranker’: Coopers provides special beer for beloved Adelaide pub facing demolition

Adelaide’s live music fans and pubgoers are brewing up a campaign to save beloved venue The Crown and Anchor — and South Australian brewing giant Coopers is now providing a special beer for the cause.

Early this year, developers Wee Hur Holdings submitted a proposal to redevelop The Crown and Anchor, lovingly referred to as the Cranker, into a 19-storey student housing complex.

Plans submitted to state government planning authorities show little would remain of the CBD pub, which holds a Local Heritage Place listing, beyond elements of its historic facade.

News of the proposal kickstarted a protest movement, driven by musicians and fans distraught by the potential loss of another live music venue, and locals protective of the pub’s history and charm.