Tee’d off: River Cafe and Red Ochre Barrel + Grill owner reacts to LIV Golf parklands expansion rumours

The owner of a city dining institution forced to shut down says he believes plans to relocate LIV Golf to North Adelaide may have contributed to the closure.

The owner of a city dining institution forced to shut down this week says he believes plans to relocate LIV Golf to North Adelaide may have contributed to the closure.

The historic River Cafe and Red Ochre Barrel + Grill, on the River Torrens, closed its doors for good on Monday, after owner and executive chef Ray Mauger failed to secure a long-term lease with Adelaide City Council.

Mr Mauger said the lease for the site, on War Memorial Drive, was set to be extended for 12 months but a new clause was added at the last-minute giving council the “right to evict at one month’s notice”.

“That’s effectively a one by one-month lease … that’s crazy,” he told The Advertiser.

“I just couldn’t move forward with it. I couldn’t inject funds, or take wedding bookings and disappoint people if they pulled the plug on me halfway through.

“I can’t operate a business that way.”

Mr Mauger said reports in The Advertiser in March showed a confidential $50m North Adelaide Golf Course masterplan featuring a two-storey clubhouse over the River Torrens – in the current location of his cafe and restaurant.

Executive chef and owner Ray Mauger and then head chef Nick Filsell at the Red Ochre Barrel + Grill in 2013.

An artist impression of two-storey function centre/clubhouse, adjacent to Torrens River with viewing deck. Picture: Adelaide City Council documents

“It just seems coincidental … it definitely appears to be my building, right on the river,” he said.

Mr Mauger said an “extensive” building condition inspection was carried out in the past 12 months at the site, which he described as the “type you would complete if you were undergoing development”.

Premier Peter Malinauskas announced in February that LIV Golf would move from Grange Golf Club – the host since 2023 – to a world-class course, developed by Australia’s greatest golfer Greg Norman, on the site of the current North Adelaide course.

The move from the western suburbs to the parklands was expected by 2028, but could happen as early as 2027, with construction believed to start in June.

At the time of the announcement, Mr Malinauskas was joined by SA Best MP Connie Bonaros and MLC Sarah Game, hinting that special legislation may be used to facilitate the redevelopment of the golf course.

Adelaide City Council had wanted the government to lease the course, so it could continue to have “a voice at the table”, but The Advertiser understands negotiations have stalled.

Plans for the redeveloped course include reconfiguring an 18-hole course, the new two-storey clubhouse, plus an underground carpark and two-tier driving range.

A city council spokesman said they would continue to “investigate opportunities to best utilise the site”.

“It is anticipated that a number of factors, including the State Government’s proposed golf course redevelopment, could inform this,” he said.

Boasting some of the best water views in Adelaide, the ground-floor River Cafe, and its upstairs restaurant sibling, the Red Ochre, have been serving customers since 2008.

Chef and owner Ray Mauger at his Red Ochre Grill and River Cafe venues on Memorial Drive, Adelaide.

Mr Mauger said he was still coming to terms with the closure of his venues, which he had owned since 2008, and worked at for about three decades.

“I’m a bit numb, just trying to get through it. But hey, onwards and upwards,” he said.

“It’s such a good spot. You wake up in the morning and go to work, my kitchen looks straight down the river … what a view.

“It’s been a pleasure to be there every single day. I’ve enjoyed every minute.”