Original Ettamogah Pub near Albury put up for sale
The original Ettamogah Pub – styled after the late cartoonist Ken Maynard’s fictional pub of the same name – has been put up for sale, with a price guide in the mid-$3 million range.
Located in the suburb of Table Top in the NSW town of Albury, near the border of Victoria, the pub was purchased by current owner Leigh O’Brien, managing director of the Ettamogah Group, in 1997.
Mr O’Brien said that he had been “tied up overseas” with other projects and that it was time to seek a new operator for the pub – an “Australian icon” – and surrounding properties.
“It needs new blood. It needs someone who can be hands on,” he said of the pub which is currently operating under management.
The agent Leonard Bongiovanni of Manenti Quinlan and Associates said a new operator could “use the brand to take this opportunity to a new level”.
The pub’s bar with artwork from the cartoon series. Photo: Supplied
The 4.81-hectare property could be turned into a village serving the Table Top community, Mr O’Brien said, as Albury’s expanding population had “grown out” towards the pub.
The property is zoned RU5 Village under the Albury LEP and comes with a hotelier’s licence.
Mr O’Brien said that lease negotiations were currently underway with a hairdresser and supermarket operator for two of the five retail shops at the site.
There was also the opportunity to complete existing work on a large dining barn.
Mr O’Brien previously held other pubs under the Ettamogah brand – including a property in Darling Harbour and a similarly-styled property in Kellyville Ridge, in Sydney’s north west, now owned by Woolworths’ ALH, to which he licenses the Ettamogah name.
The sale of the pub includes an extensive array of Ettamogah memorabilia and a 25-year licensing agreement for the Ettamogah Pub name, with a further 25-year option, operating under a royalties scheme.
A photo of the Ettamogah Pub taken in 1991. Photo: Border Mail
The site is located off the Hume Highway, 16 kilometres north of Albury, and attracts local residents and drivers from Melbourne and Canberra. The pub was built in 1987.
It is particularly popular with grey nomads, according to Mr O’Brien, who said that they would often take advantage of the free parking and access to showers.
The Ettamogah Pub was originally conceived by cartoonist Kenneth Maynard who started drawing the iconic building, with its outward leaning walls and bullnose verandah, in 1959. The pub was featured in regular cartoons in The Australasian Post until that publication closed in the early 2000s.
The Ettamogah Group was founded in 1994 by Mr O’Brien after acquiring all intellectual property rights to the Ettamogah concept including a library of over 1500 cartoons, concepts and artwork.
Mr O’Brien has used the Ettamogah brand to launch company owned and franchised themed restaurants, pub venues, merchandise and animation production.
The sale is by expressions of interest.
