Powerhouse regional publican Jim Knox has bought the large-format Tamworth Hotel from Sydney-based pub investor Daniel Whitten.
Representing the first hotel to be offered for public sale in the LGA for more than a decade, The Tamworth came to market in March touting an attractive two-storey Art Deco hotel built in 1936 holding a 2am licence.
Operated under management and reporting weekly revenue exceeding $115k, it saw sale price target of around $15 million.
Configured for an efficient single-bar operation, it also provides a gaming room with seven machines, beer garden with outdoor bar and children’s playground, drive-through bottleshop with dual street access, and a surrounding car park. On the upper level are 14 accommodation rooms and a manager’s residence.
It has recently benefited from investment in soundproofing for live music and renovation of the accommodation’s shared amenities, and has earned a reputation for its f&b, pursuant to the goal to be “the finest country pub in the district”.
“Owning and developing The Tamworth Hotel has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” says vendor Daniel Whitten, who still holds the Robin Hood Hotel in Charring Cross.
“We’ve invested significantly in creating a venue that truly serves the local community – from upgrading the accommodation facilities to developing the beer garden into a premier live music destination with state-of-the-art soundproofing that enables A-grade production quality.”
Having held The Tamworth for around 10 years, Whitten was divesting as part of a portfolio consolidation.
Beloved as Australia’s country music capital, Tamworth is a hub of the New England region. The local population of more than 60k people is forecast to see 24 per cent growth in the next 15 years.
Ranked amongst the top five inland towns in Australia, it has a thriving local industry in beef, wool and agriculture but is internationally famous for the Tamworth Country Music Festival, attracting 300k visitors for the 10-day celebration. The 2026 Festival saw the Tamworth Hotel turn over more than $500k in beverage sales in under two weeks.
Jim Knox is an accomplished publican with a proven track record in hotel business, and his acquisition of The Tamworth underscores his commitment to the sector.
Having sold his Griffith pubs in recent times, the Gem Hotel in 2025 to Bill Young and the Area Hotel mid-2024, Knox says he has been “trying to into Tamworth” for a while. Residing in Armidale, roughly 100 kilometres north-east, it makes geographic sense.
Set on a large 3,219sqm site directly opposite Tamworth Train Station, Knox was drawn to its scope for further enhancement and will look at development options in due course.
“We particularly like Tamworth,” he says. “It’s a strong town, with a lot of good investment, multiple economic drivers and community, and council supports development. These are features we like.
“It’s a go-ahead town in regional NSW, and we wanted to be part of it. Good pubs in regional towns are getting harder to find. We’re very happy to be following Whitten.”
Sale of The Tamworth comes soon after that of the Oscars-backed The Pub Group’s divestment of four pubs in town to IMG Hotels, for circa $160 million.
The Tamworth sale, for an undisclosed amount, was through JLL Hotels’ Kate MacDonald, Greg Jeloudev and Edward Browne, who say it reflects the continued interest in regional pub assets with a balance of income levers in established locations.
“The property’s diverse revenue streams across food, beverage, gaming, accommodation and bottleshop provided a compelling investment proposition for experienced operators,” explains MacDonald.
