The next generation is up and running in the heartland Australian Hotel, heralding a new era in an historic Cowra pub.
The original licensed inn of Cowra came to be in 1846, later making way for the current structure, built in its place in 1909, on a large lot on the main road into town. It counts a public bar, bistro, gaming room with eight EGMs, and popular drive-through bottleshop. The five accommodation rooms upstairs are not currently in use.
NSW Heritage says the Federation building is “an historical reminder of the beginnings of the hospitality industry in Cowra”.
Gary Rollings has been behind the wheel of NSW pubs for more than four decades, most recently divesting the Exchange Hotel in Taree he held for 22 years.
His debut in the game came in 1978 when he and his father took on the former Royal Hotel at Port Macquarie, and later the Maclean Hotel. Gary went on to partner at Hamilton with Newcastle Hotel Brokers founder, the late Ray Bailey, and to hold Grafton’s Blue Goose for nearly a decade until selling in 2004.
Currently residing in Taree with his wife, Gary has taken a new lease at the Australian as a next step in a new direction.
“The hotel in Cowra I bought primarily for my son to get a foothold in the industry,” he explains.
“I think the place has a lot of potential. My son likes the area, it’s a nice, tidy town, the clientele is fairly mature, and there’s opportunity for growth in most areas we look at.”
Son Christopher Rollings has moved in onsite and will run the day-to-day, while Gary regularly makes the 6-hour drive to Cowra to help execute their evolving plans.
Some tightening of the management has already taken place, including some new staff, and a new CCTV system throughout. The already strong trading bottleshop is about to get a top-to-bottom facelift and new POS system, which will operate throughout the Hotel.
Gary sees the “rustic” public bar décor as suited to the era and precinct, but the kitchen, which had recently ceased trading and sorely needed an upgrade, will soon be back online, with updated equipment and a new chef starting this week.
Most of the town’s pubs have sold off their gaming machines, with the Lachlan Valley going further to close completely. The Aussie will retain its gaming operation, with new machines in the near future, joining the considerable shopping list. There are long-term plans to turn the disused accommodation into a boutique offering, but cost-reward considerations mean this is not a priority.
“The upgrades require money, so we’re moving in the right direction but doing so in a way to maintain a profit base as it goes,” says Gary.
Cowra is a regional centre of nearly 10,000 residents, around 300 kilometres west of Sydney. The pub was marketed by Manenti Quinlan’s Leonard Bongiovanni and Gilchrist Business Brokers’ Dan Maley reporting $58k weekly turnover, with suggestions it is indexed to grow.
“The Australian Hotel embodied the prime fundamentals of a classic country hotel and under the new ownership, is poised to thrive and become the heart of the community,” offers Bongiovanni of the sale.
