Home Hotel, 2170 Warburton Highway Launching Place for sale

Fancy pulling beers behind the bar at a historic pub in the Yarra Valley? This could be your dream gig.

Home Hotel Launching Place, close to the Yarra River and Lilydale to Warburton rail trail, is for sale. Picture: Professionals Yarra Valley

If you’ve ever dreamt of running your own country pub, here’s your chance.

The historic Home Hotel in Launching Place, which dates back to 1902, is for sale, with an asking price of $1.65 – $1.8 million.

Keen publicans can even move in and make the Warburton Highway pub their permanent residence, with five bedrooms located upstairs in the historic building.

With the Yarra River across the road and the Lilydale to Warburton rail trail backing onto the property, the pub’s location has been described as “second to none”.

According to a listing from selling agents Professionals Yarra Valley, the building was formerly a Cobb & Co coach stop and pub in the 1860s, with the Edwardian hotel built in 1902.

The two-storey brick building has a current general licence and a capacity to hold up to 330 patrons.

The pub is close to the Yarra River and Lilydale to Warburton rail trail.

Professionals Yarra Valley director Ashleigh Hall said it was an “amazing old building” and the property had been a focal point in the Yarra Valley for years.

“The preference will be for (a buyer) who will turn it into a great country pub and food venue but it has lots of scope,” Mr Hall said.

“If someone wanted to run their own pub, because it has the residence above, it’s a well set out property.

“It comes fully equipped; there wouldn’t be much you’d have to spend to get it up and running.”

Mr Hall said the pub had fantastic heritage features including high ceilings and multiple fireplaces, and was in a great location, central to a lot of towns in the Yarra Valley.

He said there had been a lot of interest from buyers in the property.

The Home Hotel beer garden.

He said the current owner had owned the pub for many years, was in his 70s, and had decided it was time to move on.

“He would like it to go to an owner-occupier; that’s his preference,” Mr Hall said.

“He would like to see a family take it over and would love in a few years time to come and have a meal and drink.”

The Lilydale to Warburton trail backs onto the pub.

Mr Hall said the property also had a beer garden, large carpark and second building that had been used as a drive-through bottle shop, but could be turned into a microbrewery or cellar door.

“If you combined all of that together you could turn it into a great location for people to come and enjoy,” he said.

Mr Hall said the development of the Warburton Mountain Bike project would also attract more visitors to the area.

The hotel has been extensively refurbished, with new fixtures, fittings and equipment included in the sale.

Details: 5967 1800