Barwon Heads Hotel to return to its 1930s roots

ONE of the Bellarine Peninsula’s most recognisable pubs will be stripped back to its original 1930s building under a $9m redevelopment designed to restore its historic character while modernising its hospitality offering.

The proposal for the Barwon Heads Hotel includes a new upstairs bar overlooking the Barwon River, expanded outdoor dining areas and major back-of-house upgrades, while removing many of the additions made to the venue over the decades.

The Taylor Group, which owns the hotel, says the project has been years in the making.

General manager Joel Taylor said preserving the building’s identity was central to the vision.

“It’s taken some time to get our heads around exactly what to change and how to change it,” he said.

“It’s very important for us to maintain what’s an iconic part of Barwon Heads.

“It’s not just my family’s hotel, it’s the town’s hotel and a lot of people that have lived here for a long time really feel that.”

Taylor said the plan was to retain only the hotel’s original 1934 structure and remove later additions, including the drive-through bottle shop.

New covered outdoor areas with terraced seating will be created facing Ewing Blyth Drive and Bridge Road, while a long bar will become a centrepiece of the ground floor hospitality offering.

On the first floor, the new hospitality area will feature a retractable roof on one side and two large sliding windows facing the water.

“That will have views out to the heads and down the Barwon River to Ocean Grove,” Taylor said.

“It’s beautiful up there but because there’s only accommodation up there now, the general public don’t really get to see it.”

New back-of-house facilities will include a kitchen, storage area and cellar while the bistro/band room will be dedicated to live music.

Taylor said the intent was to create a great modern hospitality offering but also give a nod to the historic nature of the building, which is not individually heritage listed but is part of the Flinders Heritage Area in Barwon Heads.

Taylor said the project would likely go to tender about six months after receiving planning approval, with construction expected to take 12 months.

“We’re going to try to keep part of the hotel operating for as long as possible, and keeping the old bistro will allow us to do that for some length of time,” Taylor said.

“Out of that 12 months, I’d say the vast majority of [the hotel] would still be operating in some way.”

He said the Taylor Group’s upgrades at the Grovedale Hotel and Torquay Hotel reflected its confidence in both the venues and the wider hospitality sector.

“For the right concept and the right operator, I think larger scale hospitality like this can do really well,” Taylor said.