Landmark of Victoria’s picturesque Bellarine Peninsula, the St Leonards Hotel & Motel, is for sale by private investors.
St Leonards is on the eastern edge of the Peninsula, east of Geelong and around 1.5 hours’ drive south-west of Melbourne, around Port Phillip Bay.
The Hotel enjoys a prime 4,590sqm waterfront site between the Portarlington and Queenscliff ferry terminals, with a 1am general licence and capacity for 535 guests throughout multiple trading zones, each capitalising on the coastal views.
There is a large public bar, expansive bistro, adaptable function space, attractive beer garden and drive-through bottleshop. Separately, there are also 10 motel-style accommodation rooms and a four-bedroom manager’s residence.
It is the only pub and motel in the suburb, granting it an enviable position with no direct competitors in the tourist destination precinct.
Vendors on the sale are private investors who have owned it since 2014 and have it operated under management.
The area has enjoyed several recent pub revitalisations, such as Little Group’s $10 million makeover of the Grand Hotel in Portarlington and AVC’s relaunch of Queenscliff’s the Esplanade Hotel.
Being their only hotel asset, the partnership has listed it for sale on the basis that the hotel would be better placed in the hands of experienced operators “who could revitalise it and take it a level it deserves”.
There is clear upside by way of strategic refurbishment and additions (STCA), such as adding further accommodation or introducing a family-friendly children’s play area.
It stands “poised for a reimagining” as the last remaining untouched pub in the general area.
“This presents a genuine opportunity to create a nationally recognised destination venue whilst capitalising on year-round trade growth, with the Bellarine Peninsula experiencing unprecedented expansion as both a tourism and permanent lifestyle destination,” says JLL Hotel’s Will Connolly, marketing the asset with colleague Cody Marx.
The freehold and business of St Leonards Hotel & Motel is to be sold via Expressions of Interest, closing Thursday, 6 November.
