FRESH LOOK FOR HARBORD’S BEACH HOTEL
The iconic Harbord Hotel, overlooking Freshwater beach, has re-opened following an extensive and sympathetic makeover under its new owners. Formerly the Harbord Beach Hotel, the pub has stood proudly as a community landmark for nearly a century – close to
HOTEL CLOSED AMID CHARGES OVER DEAD DUI TEEN
Temora Hotel in the NSW Riverina has been ordered to close for two weeks and individuals are facing charges, following the death of an intoxicated teenager who had been drinking at the pub. Around 6am on Saturday, 21 March this
THORPE SHAKE-UP HERALDS ODD CULTURE
The burgeoning Thorpe Hospitality has orchestrated a serious shake-up, divesting flagship The Taphouse while taking on two new venues, and rebranding to become Odd Culture group. James Thorpe’s outfit first entered the Sydney pub scene with acquisition of Darlinghurst sweetheart
CATS SELL BROOK HOTEL TO MELBOURNE RACING
By Grant Jones The Geelong Football Club has divested the Brook Hotel in south-west Melbourne to the Melbourne Racing Club in a play to ditch gaming. The venue at 215-221 Sneezes Rd in Point Cook was first put on the
CORKMAN PUB COWBOY DEVELOPERS OFF TO JAIL
The so-called ‘cowboy’ developers that illegally demolished Melbourne’s historic Corkman’s Irish Pub have been jailed for a month and ordered to pay over $400,000 in fines and legal costs. In 2016 news broke of a fire in the pub, which
STAFF CRISIS PROMPTS $1K SIGNING BONUS FROM AVC
The challenge to fill staff positions has hit top gear with Australian Venue Co offering sign-on bonuses of up to $1,000 in a bid to secure workers to operate the group’s 150 pubs around Australia. The second wave of the
OSCARS DIVEST COFFS’ PLANTATION
Oscars Hotels has sold the once infamous Plantation Hotel for around $10 million to a Sydney publican and new entrant to the industry. The large-format Plantation occupies a prominent 3,000sqm lot in Coffs Harbour, providing an oversized bar with multiple
JOHNNIE MARKS 200 YEARS WITH LIMITED RELEASE AND DOCUMENTARY
Johnnie Walker – the world’s most recognised Scotch – is celebrating 200 years, spawning a limited-edition varietal and documentary by acclaimed independent film makers. The iconic Scotch whisky began in Kilmarnock, Scotland, in 1820, in a small grocery shop run
LAUNDY TOPS BIDDERS FOR BIDWILL
Pub king Arthur Laundy has snapped up another Top100 pub, paying long-time owner Martin Secheny $35 million for the Bidwill Hotel – the latest addition to the Laundy local area. Occupying a generous 4,300sqm block in the north-western Sydney suburb,
PRENTICE GETTING OUT OF GATTON’S COMMERCIAL
Queensland hotelier Tony Prentice is lightening the portfolio, offering up the Commercial Hotel of Gatton after an unexpected 15 years. Built 1927, the Commercial is the pub “Where everyone knows your name” and one of the oldest in the Gatton-Laidley
