Changing Times

WILLIAMSTOWN’S STAR RISES AGAIN

Posted on November 20th, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
Serial pub revivers Matt Vero and Stephen Mitchell have brought the love back to Williamstown’s much-missed Morning Star Hotel, with a fresh design and tilt to family-focus.   Built 1890, the Star of the Williamstown peninsula succumbed to the ravages

MORETON HOSPITALITY MAKEOVER FOR TWO MORE ICONS

Posted on November 4th, 2024 by Jane Louise
Last week restauranteur Ben Walsh announced the sale of Surf Parade venues Miss Moneypenny’s and Fat Freddy’s to Anthony Moreton’s Queensland-based group. The new owner of the multimillion-dollar venues, Moreton Hospitality, has likewise announced its plans for the two spaces,

HOTEL COMMONWEALTH’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN

Posted on November 1st, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
Surviving the purgatory of subsidence, the iconic Hotel Commonwealth reopens after a multi-party restoration a decade in the making. Established in 1910, the two-storey pub was built in the Colonial style, with ornate balustrades skirting the upper balcony and a

FELONS BREWING CO MAKES A SPLASH AT MANLY WHARF

Posted on October 18th, 2024 by Jane Louise
Artemus Group has opened the first of its Sydney ventures, Felons Brewing Co, at the Manly Wharf Bar site. The Group acquired the property in April, with the blessing of previous owner Ben May. The heritage-listed Manly Wharf, first built

THE WINSTON PALM SPRINGS TO LIFE

Posted on October 16th, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
Andrew Thomas has unveiled the completed multi-million-dollar-renovation of The Winston, offering the Nor-West community a customised transformation designed for family socialising.  The Thomas family has held the hotel since 2010, and opted to execute what has become a highly anticipated

THE BENDI’S BACK

Posted on October 11th, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
In March Melbourne’s iconic music venue the Bendigo Hotel, aka ‘The Bendi’, was forced to close after 14 years championing the punk, rock and metal live music scene. Now, just six months later, it’s back. The Bendi has found a

LAUNDY LETS LOOSE BEN’S THE MONA

Posted on October 4th, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
Laundy Hotels’ icon of the northern beaches officially begins trade today as The Mona, after a grand reopening, major overhaul, and addition of fellow peninsula legend Ben. A staple of the precinct for nearly a century, the storied Mona Vale

LEICHHARDT HOTEL LOOKS TO REVIVAL

Posted on July 29th, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
Once a haven for the alternative live arts scene in Sydney, relocated and now closed for a decade, owners of the Leichhardt Hotel of Leichhardt are anticipating a comeback. Original Leichhardt Hotel, c.1924 The classic suburban pub was originally constructed

PUB’S HISTORY KEPT ALIVE WITH THEATRE RENOVATION

Posted on July 24th, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
Long-time Perth favourite, the Guildford Hotel, raised the curtain at the re-opening of its Vaudeville Hall this month. A $2.8 million renovation extended the hotel’s indoors/outdoors facilities, transforming adjoining Vaudeville Hall (‘The Hall’) into a casual beer hall and dining

ANGLER’S TAVERN REELS IN THE CROWD FOR ITS GRAND REOPENING

Posted on July 17th, 2024 by Jane Louise
The Anglers Tavern, on the Maribyrnong River Melbourne, will officially re-open Thursday (18 July) after almost two years closed following the October 2022 floods. Image: ABC news The much-loved local has been restored and redesigned after floods destroyed the lower