Harvest Hospitality are back sharpening the collection, listing the newly renovated Woy Woy Hotel, marking the first time it has been publicly offered to market in over 25 years.
Harvest bought the large-format coastal hotel, known locally as “the Old Pub”, in late 2021. They paid the McIntyre family, who had owned it for over 20 years, around $32 million for the asset.
Built 1897, the two-storey pub is an icon of the NSW Central Coast. Residing on a 2,767sqm site it provides public bar and bistro, gaming with 30 machines, and a drive-through bottleshop.
It is located in a designated Transport Oriented Development zone, enjoying a strategic position between Woy Woy Train Station, servicing around 5k passengers daily, and Woy Woy Wharf.
Early 2025 Harvest completed and revealed a comprehensive $6 million renovation. The original timber cladding was retained and cornice detailing restored. The public bar was rejuvenated and it gained a new sports bar, bistro and oversized beer garden, overlooking the new kids’ playground.
The reimagined colour palette featured fresh blues and whites, in a nod to its new seafood-inspired menu and the town’s history as a fishing village.
Still enjoying the fruits of the upgrades, it reports average weekly revenue north of $245k, with gaming being one department said to be on a strong growth trajectory.
Further trading upside exists in the currently unutilised first floor, offering opportunity to reactivate dormant accommodation rooms or reposition the space for expanded licensed area or functions.
The Woy Woy was Harvest’s first acquisition through its second investment vehicle, Harvest Pub Fund 2, and director and co-founder Fraser Haughton said at the time the coastal venue was an ideal start.
More recently the group has sold its Northside Hotel in Lavington to JDA Hotels, and in December it kicked off its latest acquisition fund, targeting a $500 million raise.
Less than 90 minutes north of the Sydney CBD, Woy Woy and the Central Coast boast solid investment fundamentals, with resident population of around 360k people and forecast growth of 14 per cent over the next two decades.
Recent major Coastal pub transactions include Redcape’s sale of the Beach Hotel Byron Bay and Glenn Piper buying the Bermagui Beach on the Saphire Coast, both in May, and in August the Gallaghers selling the nearby Terrigal Hotel to Hunter Hotels.
Marketing on the Woy Woy notes its operational flexibility and potential “across all revenue streams” following the makeover, as well as its development upside (STCA) in an area with growing demand for residential housing.
It is being sold via an Expressions of Interest campaign, closing Wednesday, 18 March through JLL Hotels’ Ben McDonald and Kate MacDonald, who anticipate heightened competition given the weight of capital seeking large format pub assets, particularly in prime coastal lcoations.
“The comprehensive renovation has transformed Woy Woy Hotel into a contemporary hospitality destination while maintaining its strong community connection and diversified revenue streams,” says MacDonald.
