Queensland pub with giant Bundy bottle is part of rare hotel portfolio for sale

The Sundowner Hotel in Haigslea, on the outskirts of Ipswich and built in 1870, has one of only two known big ‘Bundaberg Rum’ bottles in Queensland – the other is in Bundaberg at the Bundaberg Distillery. It had been outside the pub “for as long as anyone can remember”, said listing agent Andy Nason of Power Jeffrey & Co.

The Commercial Hotel on the corner of Railway & Crescent Street in Gatton. Photo: Supplied

Mr Prentice first broke into the Queensland pub industry more than 20 years ago when he bought the Weeroona Hotel in Ipswich.

“I had no interest in hotels, [but a] mate of mine in Mt Isa encouraged me to have a look at it and we decided to go it together and that was back in 1996,” Mr Prentice said.

The partnership dissolved, but over the subsequent decade he went on to purchase the remainder of the pubs now offered for sale, which include the Sundowner, The Walloon Hotel in Ipswich, The Criterion Hotel in Warwick and The Commercial Hotel in Gatton.

“I worked out if we ran one well we could expect to basically replicate the model and that’s what I did,” Mr Prentice said.

The ”big Bundy” bottle may be an icon in the area, but it’s the income from poker machines and the potential to develop an adjacent motel or caravan park at the Sundowner that’s set to generate the most interest from buyers.

The same goes for other hotels in the portfolio – three of which come with the potential to develop surrounding land, while others come with additional commercial tenancies. The heritage-listed Criterion Hotel – built in 1917 – and the Weerona Hotel Motel both come with houses.

The heritage-listed Criterion Hotel in Warwick. Photo: Supplied

Mr Prentice listed the pubs after deciding that it was “probably time for me to move on and sell up”.

“There’s no doubt about it, any new operator has a lot of opportunities there…they’re all in growth corridors, most have quite a bit of land around them too,” he said.

Collectively the hotels are expected to fetch more than $26 million, although they can be sold individually.

Mr Prentice said that the hotels “all have their story” – the Criterion is supposedly haunted by its first owner – and that letting them go would be difficult.

“For me it’s been like letting my children go because there’s a fair bit of dedication towards them.”

But he’s not letting go entirely. He plans to hold on to one pub, the Gatton View Hotel Motel, in Gatton.

The Walloon Hotel is being sold with adjoining vacant land. Photo: Supplied

“The portfolio represents a broad offering of hotels with a total of 119 gaming machines in close proximity to Brisbane, which will attract strong interest from a range of buyers including group operators, investors and individual family hoteliers,” Mr Nason said.

“[It’s the] first time in eight years that a significant portfolio of hotels will be submitted for sale on a freehold going concern basis, individually or in one line.”