Comiskey Group, operators of some of Queensland’s largest pubs, is set to build the Sunshine Coast’s largest hotel and live music venue in the new Stockland community development, Aura.
Stockland Aura, located just a 10-minute drive from Caloundra and adjacent to the Bruce Highway, is Australia’s largest masterplanned community, and is set to house 60,000 residents. The Comiskey Group’s $35m investment will be the crowning jewel of Aura’s premium entertainment hub in the city centre and will back onto an 11-hectare Southbank-style parkland, and is situated next to a large shopping centre.
Comiskey Group director Robert Comiskey told Australian Hotelier that the group – based in the Moreton Bay region – has been looking to build a venue on the Sunshine Coast for over a decade.
“We’ve always done business on the Sunshine Coast and we’ve got The Doonan opening there later this year. We’ve owned that site for 15 years. We’ve always wanted the opportunity to expand our reach, especially on the music side, and building something of the scale and size of Sandstone and Eatons Hill.
“We’ve been looking for a site up there for many years and Stockland were keen to talk to us about something special up there, and we saw the town centre and thought ‘wow this is going to be amazing.’”
Comiskey Group are planning to build a large-scale hotel and live music venue in Aura, that will include internal and alfresco dining areas, six bars, a gaming room and function spaces. While on a smaller plot of land, the actual venue footprint is expected to be larger than Sandstone Point Hotel.
“It’ll still probably be one of the largest hotels in Queensland,” stated Comiskey.
Having a wealth of experience hosting music and live entertainment at both Eatons Hill Hotel and Sandstone Point Hotel, the Aura venue will also have a large live music space which will boast a world-class PA and lighting system, band room, mezzanine level and the capacity to host over 2,500 patrons.
The group also recently acquired Coochin Fields, a 150-hectare outdoor festival site, located only a 10-minute drive away from the Aura site. Comiskey can see that there are plenty of synergies and cross-trade opportunities between the two sites.
“There’s definitely things we can do. Shows before or after [festivals], as well as ways we can tie back in with the hotel into that Coochin Fields site, where people can go there before and after. There will be a lot of synergy and it will be easy to manage when we’ve got a full team only moments away.”
“We are thrilled that The Comiskey Group has chosen Aura as the location for its next venue, which will give our growing community access to a world-class entertainment destination,” stated Josh Sondergeld, project director at Stockland Aura.
“We look forward to welcoming this venue which will become a recreational hub for our residents and visitors to enjoy a family meal, celebrate a milestone or attend a major live international act.”
Construction on the Aura hotel and live music venue is set to begin in mid-2023 and is expected to be complete in mid-2024.