Open & Closed

LIGHTS BACK ON AT BEACONSFIELD

Posted on January 29th, 2025 by Clyde Mooney
Twenty years ago, St Kilda’s historic Beaconsfield Hotel closed following the shocking death of former star cricketer David Hookes, and the subsequent backlash from the public. Now, owner Geoffrey Ogden, who runs several Western Australia venues with his family, has

AVC CONTINUES THE CAPEX IN MELBOURNE

Posted on December 4th, 2024 by Jane Louise
Australian Venue Co (AVC) continues to invest in Melbourne pubs, this time opening the Gardiner Hotel in Malvern while simultaneously unveiling its renovation of the Flinders Hotel on the Mornington Peninsula. Previously the old National Bank building, The Gardiner’s doors

GERNER RECLAIMS THE KOONYA

Posted on November 29th, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
After nearly a century and a half overlooking Port Phillip Bay, Julian Gerner has revived Sorrento’s Koonya Hotel, in a return to days of old. The pub was built by John Boswell Clarke and family using local limestone, opening as

BACK TO THE BEACH FOR THE NEW MORETON

Posted on November 25th, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
The reconfigured Moreton Hospitality is suggesting to “Expect more” as it returns to its roots, with a name change and reimagined reinstatement of Broadbeach favourite the Beach Hotel.   Anthony Moreton Group (AMG) bought the original Beach Hotel at 50

HARVEST UNVEIL AUSSIE INN SUPER-PUB

Posted on November 22nd, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
Harvest Hotels has unveiled its major remodelling of the Aussie Inn in Hackham, destined to be the new “super pub” of South Adelaide. The group bought the large-format suburban watering hole in 2022 from Hackham Community Sports and Social Club,

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

BLAIRGROVE SPICES IT UP AT LEICHHARDT

Posted on October 23rd, 2024 by Clyde Mooney
Evolving from alternative music icon to public eyesore to extravaganza inspired by all corners of the globe, the legendary Leichhardt Hotel has reopened with a precinct-appropriate new offering. Originally constructed in 1888, the Leichhardt Hotel became a haven for the

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