Feros Group are the new custodians of the stunning Ocean Beach Hotel in Shellharbour, with king of the south Chris Feros declaring “big plans” for the seaside site.
Built 1929, the Ocean Beach Hotel is an expansive open plan beachfront venue, with a celebrated seafood restaurant, perched overlooking Shellharbour North and South beaches with unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean.
It joins the southern-slanted Feros portfolio, already including The Prince at Kirrawee, Engadine Tavern, Highfield at Caringbah, Berry Hotel, Heathcote Hotel and the Taren Point Hotel.
The group is also engineering greenfield hotel sites, most notably the highly anticipated Parc Pavilion in the heart of Cronulla, due to begin fit-out in September ahead of an expected opening in the first half of 2025.
Taking on a new long-term lease at Shellharbour, Feros offered special mention to the very private family who have owned the freehold since 1992, emphasising how good they were during the sale process, and that he is “excited to have them as our landlords”.
Expiry of the prior lease saw the end of a 20-plus-year tenure with the Dennis family, Kylee and Michael.
The pub is prime for some investment and Feros has committed to a substantial multi-million-dollar renovation, with a strong emphasis on food service, to see it equipped to fully capitalise on its prime position.
The precinct stands to benefit from Frasers Property’s $2.3 billion Shell Cove Master Planned community, which is nearing completion and ushers in a new town centre, marina, and 3K residential properties.
Feros takes the keys at Ocean Beach 1 July and will begin trading immediately as plans are formulated.
“The pub is basically one big open space,” he says.
“We’ll break it up a bit, build a proper sports bar and do up the deck, for a fantastic outdoor experience. We want to target families too, so there will be a kids’ space.
“We love the south coast area, having already invested heavily in the wider region through our venue at Berry and the development at Bingara Gorge.
“We’ll definitely keep looking for opportunities in the south.”
The off-market transaction was managed by HTL Property’s Dan Dragicevich and Sam Handy, marking another big ticket asset sale in the region, following Redcape divesting the Central Hotel in Shellharbour last year for $25 million, Paddy Coughlan’s sale of the Five Islands Hotel to Endeavour late 2022 for $25 million, Damian Kelly’s sale of the North Nowra Hotel in 2022 for $23 million, and after nearly four decades the Hampton family’s sale in 2021 of the Lake Illawarra.
“Scalable absolute beachfront Hotels offer unparalleled trading advantages, especially across food and beverage revenue centres, and the Feros Group’s expertise will no doubt establish the venue as a must visit for south coast locals and tourists alike,” notes Dragicevich.
hope you also do something with the carpark its a disaster
It would be great to be able to have a coffee after 3pm, sit over a long lunch and not have tables and chairs being stacked up. Everything around seems to close early. Would be lovely to sit on the devk with a meal and glass of wine. I’m excited.
Please please please do not get rid of the pool room! It’s the last standing place with multiple tables for us to come together and play! It is a special place for lots of us locals and seperate from the rest of the pub so we can listen to our own choice of music without disturbing others.
It’s a place to feel welcome and meet new people!
It brings in crowds and helps build strong community ties
I know lots of us would agree 🙏🏼🫶🏼
Allow people with well behaved fur babies on the deck, and you will double your walk up customer base. As the last comment mentioned, leave the furniture there for people to enjoy an afternoon on the deck…
Good luck with everything, glad to see new blood taking over.
No fur babies
Keep its charm
And local feel
We don’t need a Sydney yuppy pub in Shellharbour
Good affordable food and family atmosphere would be perfect
At least it won’t be even more units
Of which I am thankful
Your plans sound great
Very exciting news. Can’t wait to see this very tired establishment turned into something a little more sophisticated. Hopefully it will attract people back to the village making it cool again. Can’t wait to see what you do. Hopefully it would be goodbye to the lower walls on the outside of the building on Wollongong St that appear to be home to many rats. 🐀 Good luck to you.