Open & Closed

NEW CHAPTER FOR IRISH PUB

Posted on September 12th, 2025 by Jane Louise
Beloved inner-city Irish pub The Quiet Man, which called last drinks on St Patrick’s Day this year, reopened last week as Auntie Annie’s Hotel. The Kensington watering hole, located near Flemington Racecourse, opened in 1998, having being designed and built

STEAKHOUSE GIANT NORMAN HEADS TO THE NORTHSIDE

Posted on August 18th, 2025 by Jane Louise
Iconic Queensland steakhouse the Norman Hotel in Woolloongabba, proudly known as “Brisbane’s worst vegetarian restaurant”, has just announced the arrival of its twin, Norman Northside, due to open mid next year. Leasehold owner of the 136-year-old pub, James Power represents

ROCKY WELCOMES BACK ITS BELOVED LEICHHARDT

Posted on August 15th, 2025 by Jane Louise
Rockhampton welcomed back its beloved Leichhardt Hotel last Wednesday when it reopened after a complete rebuild. Operated by QVC, a joint venture between Australian Venue Co and Coles’ former Spirit Hotels, the hotel has now put a contemporary twist on

THE YACK IS BACK: A NEW CHAPTER FOR A LOCAL LEGEND

Posted on August 6th, 2025 by Jane Louise
Only a few short months after closing, Yackandandah’s local, Yackandandah Hotel (‘The Yack’, also known as The Bottom Pub) has now reopened under new ownership. The regional Victorian pub, located on well-frequented tourism routes near Albury-Wodonga, resumed trade on 1

SOLOTEL TURNS IT AROUND WITH THE WOODSTOCK

Posted on August 4th, 2025 by Jane Louise
A multi-million-dollar transformation in Sydney’s northwest is set to become the go-to hospitality destination when Rooty Hill’s Carousel Inn is relaunched as The Woodstock later this year. The twenty-fifth venue to be purchased by the Solotel Group, it was acquired

RED LION RETURNS WITH A ROAR

Posted on July 30th, 2025 by Jane Louise
Kilmore’s Red Lion Hotel was put firmly back on the map when it reopened on Monday. The 169-year-old pub in Victoria’s oldest inland town was once owned by drug boss Tony Mokbel, who purchased it in 1996 for $465K. It

PITCH AND WICKET BRINGS BRITAIN TO THE BEACH

Posted on July 18th, 2025 by Jane Louise
A brand-new pub has arrived in Queensland’s Whitsundays, offering something old-school different to stand out from the pack. Hospitality veterans Roger Hunter (previously at Paddy’s Shenanigans), Ivan Lonsdale (Magnums) and Matt Bayford saw a gap in the market and leapt

O’HARAS ON TRACK AT PARRAMATTA

Posted on July 14th, 2025 by Clyde Mooney
The O’Hara Group has expanded its presence in Parramatta, quietly opening an all-new brownfield pub in the heart of the CBD. Station Hotel is a all-new, multi-level watering hole on Church St, opposite Westfield, for up to 450 patrons. It

AMPS TO ALES: GUITAR MAKER TUNES INTO PUBS

Posted on July 11th, 2025 by Jane Louise
A live music venue is looking to become a pub, planning food and drinks and to even add its own brewery to the mix. Sunshine Coast venue Norton Music Factory started out in 2012 as a custom guitar shop, later

ALH’S IMPERIAL HOTEL TO PERMANENTLY CLOSE

Posted on July 4th, 2025 by Jane Louise
Australian Leisure and Hospitality’s Imperial Hotel, in south-east Queensland, will permanently close this September in favour of a railway upgrade, ahead of the 2032 Olympic games. Located in Beenleigh, 35 kilometres south of Brisbane, the two-level Imperial resides on a