Iris Capital has divested the historic Wisemans Inn Hotel to a local private investor as it tunes the portfolio and continues major developments around the state.
The riverside Inn was established in 1827 on a 5,123sqm landholding on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, around 75 kilometres north-west of the Sydney CBD. It provides a cosy public bar and bistro, five boutique pub rooms and six freestanding motel suites, but no gaming.
It also includes the historic Cobham Hall, the grand manor of convict, merchant and ferryman Soloman Wiseman, who inspired the name of the town Wiseman’s Ferry.
The Inn benefits from an enviable natural setting and recent proximal infrastructure upgrades. It enjoys regular trade from occupants of the multiple caravan parks nearby and from the new 163-bay boat ramp, just 300 metres away.
Its spacious lot provides opportunity for expanded alfresco dining, family-friendly spaces and live entertainment or special events.
Iris purchased the Inn in 2022 from Bill Young for circa $10 million. It is considered ‘non-core’ and has become the smallest asset in the group’s portfolio.
Sam Arnaout has been consolidating as Iris pursues big-ticket projects and developments in multiple cities, and listed the Inn in July reporting annual turnover of approximately $3.2 million.
The group is also offloading Oxford St twins the Colombian Hotel and Gaslight Inn.
Last month it sold a swag of Newcastle pubs to Redcape while picking up two of that group’s hotels in Sydney’s Revesby. This followed from a transaction in 2025 where Iris bought the Cabramatta Hotel and El Cortez from Redcape in a deal reported at more than $180 million.
Wiseman’s Inn is understood to have been bought by a local private investor, who has long admired the near 200-year-old pub and is now positioned to capitalise on its “scale and untapped potential”.
The sale was managed by JLL Hotels’ Kate MacDonald and Greg Jeloudev.
“The new owner’s genuine connection to Wisemans Ferry and long-standing appreciation for the venue positions them perfectly to unlock the significant potential this asset holds,” says MacDonald.
