The Feros’ JDA Collective has secured stunning “trophy asset” the Headlands Hotel in seaside Austinmer from owner-operator developers Stevens Group.
Located around an hour south of the Sydney CBD, the sprawling pub literally resides on its own headland, on a 2,550sqm site projecting into the Pacific Ocean, providing panoramic ocean views on three sides.
A previous incarnation of the venue had fallen into disrepair and was purchased in 2013 by diversified property developers and operators Stevens Group.
After securing approvals Stevens Group rebuilt the property, reopening in 2016 with an expansive two-level venue offering multiple bars and outdoor areas, gaming room with 14 machines, a popular events and conferencing centre on the first floor, and underground parking. Adjacent are the serviced Apartments By The Sea.
It has gone on to win numerous accolades, such as the 2018 AHA state title of Best Outdoor Experience and the gongs for Best Pub-style Accommodation (Deluxe) at the AHA Nationals that year, and again at a state level in 2025.
The family-run JDA Collective, led by siblings John, Dean and Alexandra, have been tuning the portfolio, buying or selling on six hotels in the past 18 months.
The strategy has centred on securing upside opportunities and finding strategic exits on assets already capitalised.
Early 2025 they picked up the Crystal Palace Hotel in Sydney’s southern CBD, later last year they bought the Northside Hotel in Lavington from Harvest Hospitality. In May of this year they secured the blank canvas Bexley North Hotel for circa $70 million.
Looking to balance the numbers, in June JDA divested the big Peakhurst Inn to Sonnel for around $60 million, and the following month sold the Gold Coast Tavern to Irvin Hotels.
The high-profile pub group has now paid around $44 million to take over the freehold going concern of the Headlands from Stevens Group.
Dean Feros says they are not actively looking but have seized on what they see as “good opportunities” as they ‘shuffle the deck’ – although he adds it is hard to resist a location with such magnificent ocean views.
The off-market transaction was managed by HTL Property’s Dan Dragicevich and Andrew Jolliffe, who note both the ‘trophy’ status of the Headlands and its enviable physical and market position.
“Beyond the irreplaceable beach cliff real estate, giving it the kind of advantage held by only a handful of venues nationally, the hotel enjoys a vast and scalable trading footprint that gives it the rare ability to effectively operate multiple businesses under the one roof,” says Dragicevich.
“JDA are excellent candidates to optimise the potential of such a drawcard operation.”
