Changing Times

OXFORD ST ICON CLOSES AS LATE-NIGHT ECONOMY DIES

Posted on June 24th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
One of the old-timers of Sydney’s Oxford Street party scene has sold, as patronage drop in the lockout zone drives property value into other options. The Exchange Hotel, at the lower end of Oxford St, near Hype Park, has been

COUNCIL LEAPS TO SAVE “HISTORIC” BRISBANE HOTEL

Posted on June 17th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
An historic Brisbane pub has been spared the wrecking ball, with Council jumping in with a protection order. St Patrick’s College bought Shorncliffe’s Seaview Hotel last year, closing the pub business with plans to use parts of the property for

CRAZY VENDETTA FORCING LUNATIC HOTEL TO CLOSE

Posted on June 12th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
Owners of the hub of Drake, the Lunatic Hotel, are about to wind up the business after years of systemic harassment by unknown enemies. Having run the hotel for over a decade, Desley and Bob Kane have experienced over seven

NATIONAL TRUST PUB TO GET OVERHAUL

Posted on May 6th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
One of Australia’s most significant live music venues has announced a temporary closure ahead of an extensive make-over to reinvigorate the National Trust-listed building. Built in 1878, the Esplanade Hotel – “The Espy” – is located overlooking Port Phillip Bay

HISTORIC KATOOMBA HOTEL OPENING BOUTIQUE BREWERY

Posted on April 29th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
[caption id="attachment_2172" align="alignright" width="452"] Carrington Hotel, Katoomba. Image courtesy NSW State Library[/caption] The magnificent Carrington Hotel in Katoomba has won a hard-fought battle to transform part of its heritage structure into a micro-brewery and “major tourist attraction”. Built in 1882

EDITOR’S NOTE: CHAIN THRIVES AS 30 PUBS A WEEK CLOSE

Posted on April 24th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
As the British pub scene continues to undergo a transition centuries in the making, one “identikit” chain is thriving. Britain boasts roughly three times as many pubs per head of population as Australia, and similarly, the JD Wetherspoons chain operates

PUB ICON BURNS DOWN BUT SET TO RISE AGAIN FOR ‘THE DUST’

Posted on March 30th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
[caption id="attachment_1799" align="alignright" width="422"] Image supplied by Queensland Police[/caption] The hotel made famous in the 1956 film A Town Like Alice burned to the ground last Thursday night, but owners suggest it will be back – again. Gannon’s Hotel was

DRAG QUEEN ICON PUB TO GET ‘SPICIER’

Posted on March 25th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
Sydney’s famous mecca for drag shows, gender illusionists and star of hit movie ‘Priscilla Queens of the Desert’ is being taken over in April by acclaimed entertainment operators Spice Group International. Having outgrown their current digs in Martin Place, the

TIME HAS COME FOR HOURGLASS TOWER: IRIS GROUP

Posted on March 18th, 2015 by Clyde Mooney
Iris Group has gotten the go-ahead for stage one of the massive redevelopment of its Kings Cross landmark, the Mercure Hotel. [caption id="attachment_1663" align="alignright" width="361"] Mercure complex. Image: Google Maps[/caption] The Group purchased the mixed use property for $65 million