The Aussie Inn in Hackham has undergone a multi-million dollar refurbishment, repositioning the venue as a premium pub in South Adelaide.
The transformation of the Aussie Inn includes an expanded footprint, adding capacity for an extra 200 people, bringing its total capacity to 650 pax. The other major tenet of the renovation was the creation of multiple zones within the pub, so that it could welcome all demographics.
“The pub has been thoughtfully designed with the community in mind. There’s space for local sports clubs to enjoy the game in the sports bar, for friends to gather and share a meal, and for parents to unwind with a drink in hand while keeping an eye on their kids having fun in the playground,” said GM Jackson Rogers.
Harvest Hotels acquired the Aussie Inn in 2022, along with the Brahma Lodge Hotel in northeast Adelaide. The two pubs were the first acquisitions the group made outside of New South Wales, which now sit in a fund dedicated to large-format pubs in the outer suburbs of Adelaide. That found now also includes The Crown Inn in Old Reynella and Blue Gums Hotel in Fairview Park.
Harvest Hotels managing director Chris Cornforth explained to Australian Hotelier earlier in the year that the group applied the same acquisition strategy that has proven successful in New South Wales to its South Australian fund.
“We looked for areas where there were strong tailwinds to grow a large-format pub, and we found that suburban areas of Adelaide ticked this box.
“There were other attractive aspects for South Australia, such as its regulatory landscape which is more settled following a large community consultation process they went through back in 2020.”
The Aussie Inn transformation was led by State Architecture Medal 2024 winner Chris Rowlands from RADS. Originally built in the 1980s, Rowlands and his team leant into that era of front bars, while maintaining a sense of hospitality, warmth and community charm. The design makes maximum use of the outdoors with picnic tables overlooking a significant kids’ playground, leading up to an alfresco dining area situated in lush green surrounds.
The bistro features a double-sided fireplace and a cosy booth seating area. The large sports bar has 16 beers on tap, TAB facilities, and features American sport and AFL.
The venue is also being positioned as a destination for local functions and events. With a function capacity of 300, the pub can accommodate corporate, community and social groups of all sizes for end-of-year celebrations and milestone events.
Harvest Hotels is currently working on the redevelopment of the Woy Woy Hotel on the NSW Central Coast, with capacity expansion and customer segmentation also being the main tenets of that design.