Illawarra Pinball Club sets up ultimate games room at Gwynneville's Beaton Park Tennis Club

A room filled with classic pinball machines now resides at the venue thanks to the year-old Illawarra Pinball Club.

President and long-time pinball enthusiast Rob Rusak said they had outgrown their past two venues so eventually found a home in Gwynneville with 12 machines delivered last week - and anyone can play them.

"Every time you shoot the ball up, something new happens," Rusak said.

"It's never the same game twice."

On Tuesday, Beaton Park saw 35 regular members - men, women and kids - turn up for their weekly tournament.

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Rusak said finding the club helped fill a loneliness left after his children grew up and his wife passed away.

"In the end it's given me some sort of purpose again," he said.

"It's a good little outlet and something good to do."

The club was founded by Paul Soutter who started a Facebook page to find people to play with over a beer, and has now grown to have hundreds of members.

One of those members is former Australia's number one player (he's currently ranked second), Paul Jones, who has been playing the game at "every corner shop" since he was a kid.

Competitively he's been in the game for the last decade, since about the same time he started his collection of the glorious machines which has grown to 23 that live in a "designated games room" under his house.

"It's a world under glass," Jones said.

"Every game is different ... it's not like a programmed arcade game, there's no pattern. You've just got to play the game and expected the unexpected."

He's been part of the club since its inception and loves they have a permanent space at the tennis club to hang out with like-minded people each week.

"It's the first thing you see when you walk in, and they draw you in - the flashing lights and animation," Jones said.

If you're not ready to join the Pinball Club you can dip your toe in any day of the week, while there's also a free arcade machine programmed with 999 games like Pac-Man and Frogger.

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