Construction has begun on the $25 million development of the all-new Googong Hotel, on the New South Wales side of the Australian Capital Territory border.
The town, a new and developing area, lies around half an hour from the Canberra CBD.
Until now, residential development has dominated the area.
While the town centre was planned with the pub in mind, the pub is the first of the social infrastructure for the area to be built.
Googong Hotel, designed by May + Russell Architects and developed by partners Peet and Mirvac, has collaborated with publicans of the Royal Hotel Queanbeyan (RHQ) for the project.
The 175-year-old RHQ, located only ten minutes from Googong Hotel, is an icon of its area and winner of the Best Redeveloped Country Hotel in Australia, a fitting choice for the planned stand-out venue that will be the Googong Hotel.
Once finished, the pub will boast hotel facilities; separate bistro and restaurant; a gaming room; beer garden; lounge and bar; sports bar; a separate kids’ play area; and a function rooms, which can accommodate up to four hundred people.
Overall, the hotel will be equipped to host over 700 patrons.
Executive of Googong development, Glen Frew, said the start of construction was a great milestone for the community.
The site opens onto Bunyip Park near the town’s lake, and has street approvals for up to ten road closures a year. These will enable the hotel to connect with the park and lake during community events.
Developers are concurrently working on plans for the town centre itself, set to be home to between 20-30 businesses, including a supermarket, medical centre, library, childcare and community centres, gym and restaurants, along with three major car parks.
“It’ll provide convenience, employment and community connectivity for all the residents and the visitors,” says Frew.
Designed by Fresh Creative, the pub’s logo of five circles represents the Aboriginal groups holding identified custodial connections to the area, with the connecting swirls depicting the larger community and history.
“Googong pub presents an opportunity to bring groups of people together, grow community connections and allow residents to engage in cultural activities,” states its website.
Googong is currently home to around 8K residents, recently celebrating its tenth anniversary.
It is expected to more than triple its population by the time the town centre is due for completion, in 2034.
