Venue Manager

AVC tangos with Helliwell. Posted on October 14th, 2026 by Clyde Mooney Australian Venue Co has struck up a new partnership in Queensland, executing a multi-venue sale swap with local family-owned group Helliwell Hospitality. Following approval by the ACCC last month AVC is taking over operations at Helliwell's Stock Exchange Hotel in Brisbane, known as Stockies, and at Hervey Bay Hotel & Resort, in Pialba. The large-format Hervey Bay Hotel offers a sports bar decked with big TVs, bistro, gaming room and onsite betting facilities, and 26 well-appointed accommodation rooms, all close to the beach, shops and the town's famous water park. Helliwell will remain the freehold owner and plans to progress on a staged development heralding four accommodation towers. Additionally, Helliwell has agreed to the purchase of both the leasehold and freehold of the Surfair Hotel in Marcoola, adding to the five venues the group already owns and operates within 20 kilometres of the pub. Built 1971, mere metres from the beach, the Surfair provides a sports bar, bistro, and picturesque garden bar, as well as multiple versatile function and event spaces. In the 80s it earned a reputation as a live music destination, hosting classic Australian bands such as Cold Chisel, INXS and Midnight Oil. AVC bought the hotel operation mid-2021 from vendor Tony Scanlon, in association with the listed Hotel Property Investments (ASX:HPI) as freehold owner and landlord. Early 2025 HPI agreed to a wholesale takeover by Charter Hall. Queensland-based Helliwell has venues across the state. Director Clayton Williams says they are excited to be working with AVC and for the opportunity to focus on the future development at Hervey Bay and uplift in the Sunshine Coast. "Surfair Hotel Marcoola is a true coastal institution, and we look forward to building its conferencing, weddings and events business while creating further synergies through our local operating experience." Established 1863, the Stock Exchange is a heritage-listed pub in the Brisbane CBD. Helliwell took on operations at Stockies early 2021, with the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane as the freehold owner. "Stock Exchange Hotel has been a great venue and a significant part of our journey," continues Williams. "We sincerely thank our lessor and wish all parties the very best for the future."

AVC takes two in the Sunshine. Posted on September 25th, 2026 by Clyde Mooney Australian Venue Co has further consolidated its outlook in the Sunshine State, acquiring two prominent licensed venues from the same private operator. Both considered local landmarks, AVC is taking over operations at Bartlett's Tavern in Rockhampton and the Black Nugget Hotel Motel in Moranbah, representing a significant expansion of its footprint in high-growth resource and agricultural hubs in central Queensland. The large format Black Nugget Hotel Motel is on an expansive 1.7-Ha site in the Bowen Basin coal mining hub that is Moranbah, roughly 190 kilometres west of Mackay, with its population of close to 10k people that includes a large number of fly-in fly-out (FIFO) mine workers. The Nugget offers a popular public sports bar, gaming room with 40 machines, bistro, beer garden, both drive-through and walk-in bottleshops, and a 28-room motel complex that was recently expanded to accommodate demand. Bartlett's Tavern is in the heart of Rockhampton City and a staple of its community, featuring a sports bar with TAB and Keno, gaming room with 40 EGMs, bistro and three bottleshops, operating under the Liquor Legends banner. Recently the O'Haras have cashed in the capital in two Rockhampton pubs, selling both the Parkhurst Tavern mid-2025 and the Gracemere Hotel later that year. Agents say there are more sale announcements to reveal "in coming weeks". AVC purchased the operations from a private family. The freehold of the Black Nugget remains part of the Sentinel Northern Australia Investment Fund, providing a long-term corporate lease arrangement, while the bricks and mortar at Bartletts Tavern's remains in private hands. Buoyed by strong financial results, AVC has had a lot of portfolio activity this calendar year. In January the VC-backed company took four pubs from Solotel, including Double Bay's famous Golden Sheaf, then Solotel's Newtown Hotel, then its The Clock and The Bank. Beyond its relentless capex program on existing venues in the portfolio, now counting over 250 pubs around the country, AVC has begun pushing further into the accommodation market, launching rooms at the Coomera Lodge Hotel in recent months. This market is understood to be a motivator in acquiring the Black Nugget. "Regional Queensland has been highly sought by seasoned operators and investors over the last 12 months, with a number of large-scale transactions in both the central and northern regions of Queensland having recently transacted," says HTL Property's Glenn Price, who brokered the sales to AVC with HTL CEO Andrew Jolliffe. The pub industry is enjoying a buoyant period, both in trade and transactions, with close to $2 billion in sales around the country having already occurred during 2026. "For Queensland, the race to the 2032 Olympics is likely to only bolster trade for hotel venues and in turn increase the acquisition desirability of the asset class, by both Queensland-based and national operators," adds Price.