- The hotel was originally established in 1890 to accommodate pearling crews in Broome
- CBRE is facilitating the sale
- Covers a 12,000 sqm holding
The Roebuck Bay Hotel in Broome’s Chinatown district – known affectionally as “The Roey” – has been listed for sale.
One of the most iconic pubs in Western Australia, the hotel has a fascinating history, having been founded in 1890 to encourage pearling crews to remain in Broome after spending long voyages at sea.
Since then, it has become one of the largest venues in northern Western Australia offering dining, entertainment and accommodation to customers.
Ryan McGinnity and Derek Barlow of CBRE have been appointed to market the property, with expressions of interest closing 1 September.
Mr McGinnity noted the listings offer new owners the opportunity to make their mark on a historic venue.
“Many venues are listed as iconic; few can truly claim to be that, but The Roey can. Anyone who has been to Broome has probably had a beer in the sports bar, enjoyed a meal at Pearlers, or if staying long into the night would have witnessed their Thursday night competitions, which have been famously running since the 1970’s,” Mr McGinnity said.
“With weekly revenue approaching $400,000, we expect to see interest from owners and operators all over Australia and potentially overseas.
“While east coast groups don’t always look at WA pubs, this is a once in a generation opportunity to purchase an iconic asset in one of Australia’s best tourism towns.”
The hotel consists of Bottlemart, a drive-through liquor store, Pearlers Bar and Bistro a modern sports bar Oasis Bar, an outdoor entertainment venue along with accommodation for backpackers and a motel.
Currently, the asset generates around 80% of its income from a small part of the 12,000 square metre holding.
Mr Barlow noted that building given it is a large site, further development could be considered, given its central location. The site could be sued for commercial, tourism or simply expanding the current accommodation facilities.
“With accommodation occupancy rates approaching 100% on weekends and peak periods, development of new rooms is something that should be considered by any owner, to further profit from Australia’s domestic travel boom, which we expect Broome to be a beneficiary of for many years to come,” Mr Barlow said.
