Australian Venue Co has further consolidated its outlook in the Sunshine State, acquiring two prominent licensed venues from the same private operator.
Both considered local landmarks, AVC is taking over operations at Bartlett’s Tavern in Rockhampton and the Black Nugget Hotel Motel in Moranbah, representing a significant expansion of its footprint in high-growth resource and agricultural hubs in central Queensland.
The large format Black Nugget Hotel Motel is on an expansive 1.7-Ha site in the Bowen Basin coal mining hub that is Moranbah, roughly 190 kilometres west of Mackay, with its population of close to 10k people that includes a large number of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) mine workers.
The Nugget offers a popular public sports bar, gaming room with 40 machines, bistro, beer garden, both drive-through and walk-in bottleshops, and a 28-room motel complex that was recently expanded to accommodate demand.
Bartlett’s Tavern is in the heart of Rockhampton City and a staple of its community, featuring a sports bar with TAB and Keno, gaming room with 40 EGMs, bistro and three bottleshops, operating under the Liquor Legends banner.
Recently the O’Haras have cashed in the capital in two Rockhampton pubs, selling both the Parkhurst Tavern mid-2025 and the Gracemere Hotel later that year.
Agents say there are more sale announcements to reveal “in coming weeks”.
AVC purchased the operations from a private family. The freehold of the Black Nugget remains part of the Sentinel Northern Australia Investment Fund, providing a long-term corporate lease arrangement, while the bricks and mortar at Bartletts Tavern’s remains in private hands.
Buoyed by strong financial results, AVC has had a lot of portfolio activity this calendar year. In January the VC-backed company took four pubs from Solotel, including Double Bay’s famous Golden Sheaf, then Solotel’s Newtown Hotel, then its The Clock and The Bank.
Beyond its relentless capex program on existing venues in the portfolio, now counting over 250 pubs around the country, AVC has begun pushing further into the accommodation market, launching rooms at the Coomera Lodge Hotel in recent months. This market is understood to be a motivator in acquiring the Black Nugget.
“Regional Queensland has been highly sought by seasoned operators and investors over the last 12 months, with a number of large-scale transactions in both the central and northern regions of Queensland having recently transacted,” says HTL Property’s Glenn Price, who brokered the sales to AVC with HTL CEO Andrew Jolliffe.
The pub industry is enjoying a buoyant period, both in trade and transactions, with close to $2 billion in sales around the country having already occurred during 2026.
“For Queensland, the race to the 2032 Olympics is likely to only bolster trade for hotel venues and in turn increase the acquisition desirability of the asset class, by both Queensland-based and national operators,” adds Price.
