The Comiskey Group opens Noosa hinterland restaurant The Doonan

After buying the site 17 years ago, the owners of a new luxury restaurant and bar in the Noosa hinterland have opened the doors with bookings already sold out until next week.

A multimillion-dollar luxury outdoor restaurant and bar has finally opened in the Noosa hinterland after a 17-year labour of love to deliver the new venue.

Queensland family-owned company The Comiskey Group and friends and business partners Josh Jones and Neville Allen opened $6.5m, two-hectare venue The Doonan on Thursday, March 2.

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The Comiskey Group director Rob Comiskey said the “labour of love” project along Beddington Rd, Doonan has been years in the making after his family bought the unique three-storey building and property which was formerly a German restaurant back in 2006.

He said his company – also creators of Sandstone Point Hotel – had the venue’s concept initially denied by the Sunshine Coast Council but it was later overturned in Planning and Environment Court.

The Doonan. Photo: Asa Andersen.

He said the property – nestled in the Noosa Valley – underwent major renovations to transform it into its 200-seat venue inspired by a blend of The Farm Byron Bay, Sandstone Point Hotel, and The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney.

“As it ages, it will only get better,” he said.

Inside The Doonan. Photo: Asa Andersen.

The Doonan has 60 staff, including two gardeners, taking care of its abundant greenery, outdoor seating, two bars, ice cream parlour, a liquor store with many local brands, and a grass field for lawn games or to kick a ball.

“It’s more like a nursery than it is a pub,” he said.

Inside The Doonan. Photo: Asa Andersen.

The three-storey building features a bar and kitchen on the first floor, a 50-person function room on the second, and offices and a boardroom on the third.

Co owner Josh Jones, who joined the project in 2015, said there was “nothing else like it” with its plants, upcoming beehives, and onsite produce, including six garden beds growing basil, mint, and cherry tomatoes.

The Doonan co owner Josh Jones. Photo: Asa Andersen.

“I think it’ll become an iconic venue for years to come,” he said.

The Noosa resident and father-of-two, also owner of Oxford Hotel in Rockhampton, said the venue‘s “modern Australian” menu offered a bite for everyone, from meat-heavy pizzas to spiced-tuna salads.

Inside The Doonan. Photo: Asa Andersen.

Lunch and dinner service has already booked out until March 7.

It comes as plans roll on for Coochin Fields, a 150ha live music site worth tens of millions of dollars proposed by The Comiskey Group south of Caloundra.

The company is also involved in a planning court process related to its eco-camp and tourist park proposal adjacent to Coochin Fields, with 150 campsites among the features in that proposal.