Brunswick’s landmark Sarah Sands Hotel for sale after a $2.7m fit out

Iconic Brunswick pub the Sarah Sands Hotel is up for grabs after a sleek facelift by the team behind some of Melbourne’s most well-known watering holes. The 168-year-old pub was initially a tollgate when Sydney Road — once known as Blyth Street in the 1840s – replaced Pascoe Vale Rd as the prime route taken by travellers heading to Sydney.

Australian Venue Co. will retain the lease to the Brunswick and Sydney Rd corner. Burgess Rawson agent Matthew Wright said the developer owners were seeking $6m-7m for the building and AVC had signed a 10x10x10 lease for the “Brunswick institution” until 2051. “The amount of people going to that particular area … there’s a lot of activity with people going out for beers and live music,” said Burgess Rawson’s senior sales executive, Matthew Wright. “It’s so close to the CBD, it’s the first pub you see when you come from the city to Brunswick.”

The original Sarah Sands Hotel name was reinstated with its recent reopening, after a period as Irish pub Bridie O’Reilly’s. Following $2.7m renovations by AVC, it now features a stylish interior with polished wooden floors and fresh paint on the heritage-listed facade. Historic features include exposed bricks and beams. It can hold up to 500 punters and has a liquor licence until 3am.

AVC runs more than 190 venues, including Fitzroy’s The Provincial and recently reopened the former Bimbo Deluxe site on Brunswick St as Kewpie Fitzroy. Its Yarra Botanica floating pontoon bar on the Yarra at Southbank has just completed construction before opening to the public.