GUEST DEPARTS ICONIC ROBERTSON INN

Adrian Guest and family have divested the iconic Robertson Inn in the picturesque Southern Highlands, as he shifts focus and looks to his other pub.

Robertson is a township around two hours’ drive south-west of Sydney, inland from Shellharbour, counting just over 1,300 permanent residents.

The two-storey Inn was established in 1887 on the pass through the mountains and has become a destination for discerning diners and an institution for out-of-town weddings, known for its welcoming environment, high quality food and beverage, entertainment and accommodation.

Guest also owns and operates the Jeremy Moss Hotel in Moss Vale, twenty-one kilometres to the west, and decided he couldn’t do both justice.

“With wedding bookings lined up well into 2019, and a recently completed second, prep kitchen, I looked at my young family and realised I don’t have the energy to see the Inn reach its full potential,” he says.

“The potential development of the large, corner block is an exciting prospect for the new owners. As a local, I look forward to watching it all come to fruition.”

Sale of the freehold, which sources suggest was circa $3 million, included a vacant adjacent block, adding to the pub’s 4,046sqm.

The buyers are an un-named syndicate based in Wollongong possessing a “mix of hospitality and broader business experience”. The group is believed to have big plans for development of the site to be a tourism destination in its own right, to complement the Inn.

The Robertson was marketed by Manenti Quinlan’s Nick Butler, who reports plenty of interest from established Sydney-based and local groups, and a raft of aspiring freehold first-timers.

“With the recent shortage of metropolitan assets being taken to the public market, the Robertson Inn loomed large as a freehold opportunity in the sophisticated Southern Highlands region.

“There’s no shortage of buyers for established hotels with a broad business mix. A terrific result for both the vendor and the Inn’s excited new owners.”