Iconic Marino Rocks Cafe up for sale

A seaside community has been left shattered after their community-owned and operated business closed its doors with the property put on the market.

A community-driven seaside cafe has closed its doors just a year after it opened.

1 Marine Parade, Marino, formerly home to Marino Rocks Social and the Marino Rocks Cafe is officially on the market, set for auction in September.

Listed by James Packham and Declan Robertson, the cafe has graced the cliffside in Adelaide’s south for more than six decades with its latest business venture transforming the site into a community, co-op hub.

David Bagshaw and Kayne Ensten with members of a community group at the Marino Rocks Cafe in Marino, Adelaide on March 25, 2022. Picture Matt Turner.

The sale listing cites the space as “one of SA’s esteemed landmarks”.

“This gem is not just a commercial venture but a symbol of community pride.

“Its vantage point provides unparalleled sea and coastal views direct adjacency to Marino Rocks prime beach access.

“Complete with breathtaking sunset views from its expansive balcony.”

On July 7, the cafe published a posts saying the cafe would be ‘temporarily closed until further notice’.

”We would like to sincerely thank all of our customers for their loyal patronage,” the posts read.

“Some very exciting things on the horizon, from some very experienced hospo operators – stay tuned.”

However, an investor took to social media saying she doubts she will “get our investment back”.

“We invested on a purely financial level to ensure the continuation of the space to be used as a public area,” the user wrote.

“We wanted to see the space stay in community hands.

“Many others invested their time as sweat equity members. All of us were unfortunately let down by initial leadership, mismanagement and lack of communication.”

In just July last year, the co-op membership and other community donations raised $1m and were able to purchase the building for $1.7m.

Former board member Kayne Ensten said at the times it was a remarkable achievement for all involved.

“The cafe is really the first of its kind (being a co-op) and we’ve set a really good example for others who may be thinking of doing the same thing for their local community,” he said.

Earlier this year, cult classic Abbots & Kinney operated out of the space, in hopes to fill a void for the area.