The Laundy family, with the Richardsons, have further expanded their coastal collection with a $13 million purchase of the Orana Hotel at Blacksmiths.
Heading up the acquisition is Danielle Richardson, daughter of Arthur Laundy, with her husband Shane, who have joined the Laundy partnership bandwagon at Blacksmiths, south of Newcastle and around 90 minutes north of Sydney.
Set on a 3,000sqm block, the Orana Hotel offers public bar with single bar operation, large commercial kitchen, popular beer garden, gaming with 11 machines, and a well-patronised drive-through bottleshop.
It was purchased in 2016 by Jaz Mooney’s outfit, known then as Pelathon Pub Group, who acquired it from receivers and executed a significant overhaul before on-selling it in 2017 to Gina Benson, who then sold to a private buyer for $4.2 million later that same year.
The pub has gone from strength to strength, reporting revenue north of $100k, around a quarter of that through gaming.
The Laundy family were active in the market in 2021, seeing Arthur’s other daughter, Justine, and husband Nick Tindall, into the re-stapled Illawong Hotel of Evans Head in March. The group then divested the Canobolas Hotel to a new partnership in November, and subsequently purchased the Cabbage Tree Hotel later that month.
“Danielle and I are very excited to have found this little gem, and we love how the current owners have transformed this pub into a great family-friendly hotel,” offered Shane Richardson.
“We plan to keep building on this proposition and further make it a great social hub for the community of Blacksmiths and the wider Swansea Belmont region.”
The Orana continues a run of sales on hotels between Sydney and Newcastle, seen in Newcastle’s Grand Hotel sold for $6 million in July 2021, Harvest Hotels buying the Woy Woy Hotel in October for $32 million, Stephen Hunt selling New Lambton’s Duke of Wellington for $16 million the same month, and Newcastle’s Lucky Hotel selling to a newcomer in December for $19.5 million.
Sale of the Orana was through JLL Hotels’ Kate MacDonald, who notes a strong result and future for the big local.
“We understand this sale to be record breaking for a NSW hotel with 11 GMEs (Band 3),” says MacDonald.
“And with Shane and Danielle at the helm, we look forward to seeing them take this strong and diverse business to the next level.”
Sad to see currant owners go they are great people and have made this pub a real local pub. As for new owners only bit of advice I could give you, don’t make to many changes the locals love this pub, we will do good to you if you return the same. Good luck.