Eureka moment for Geelong nightspot as pub changes hands
The Eureka Hotel is making a comeback in Geelong’s West End precinct as new owners reveal their plans for the venue once owned by Geelong businessman Darryn Lyons.
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The Eureka Hotel is making a comeback in central Geelong.
New owners Tom Ward and Ian Nichols, who run Murphy’s in Geelong West, are planning to resurrect the Little Malop St institution not only in name, but the entire venue, one of the CBD’s biggest pubs.
Tom Ward and Ian Nichols have bought the West End Hotel and securing the leasehold to the entire pub that’s stood on the site in various forms since the 1850s.
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They revealed plans to return a pub vibe, along with live music and a VIP bar, function room and a night spot upstairs.
Work has been underway on renovating the building, with the full venue expected to be open this spring.
“This will be a pub downstairs – a front bar, live music out the back, so a traditional really nice pub, and upstairs we’ll have a function room and a late night area,” Mr Ward said.
“It’s kind of new age industrial – exposed bricks, steel, timber floors, natural tones, and some really cool LED lights and neons that will really bring new age to it.”
Mr Ward said they weren’t returning to the big nightclub it once was, but creating spaces such as the garden bar that could also cater for functions.
“In the CBD where you could go like a Murphy’s front bar and watch the footy, watch live music and get a parmi?” Mr Ward said.
“With Little Malop St, Bill (Votsaris) has done a great job but you still come here with 10 or 15 blokes on a Saturday night and there’s no places to go.
“They’ll be able to come in here, and we can do weddings, corporate functions. 50ths, 21sts.”
The Eureka traded as a sportsbar and nightclub for several decades under Stewie Harrison and then former mayor and photographer Darryn Lyons.
Mr Lyons shut the Eureka in 2017, selling the property to Geelong developer Bill Votsaris for $3.85m in2018.
CBRE’s Mathew George brokered the WestEnd Hotel deal after the business had been marketed for circa $1.5m.
Mr Nichols, who was a front bar manager at the Eureka during Mr Lyons ownership, said they’d missed out on acquiring the pub previously.
“It’s the theme we’ve done with Murphy’s – we knew what it could be when it was pumping, both behind the bar and in front of the bar.”
A lot of the infrastructure is already in place, such as internal balconies, retractable roofs and opening glass windows to Shorts Place, where Geelong’s council has upgraded the streetscape.
“There will be five bars in the venue once it’s all running – two storeys, five bars, five different rooms, indoor and outdoor spaces,” Mr Nichols said.
He said the venue was capable of holding up to 600 people to see live music, so they wanted to chase big acts.
The venue has a long history with live music, hosting bands such as Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel and INXS in the 1970s and 80s before Tame Impala, Wolfmother and Birds of Tokyo under Lyons ownership.
Originally published as Eureka moment for Geelong nightspot as pub changes hands
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