Toowoomba’s Blue Mountain Hotel finishes first stage of $4.5m renovation, revamp by ALH Group

One of Toowoomba’s oldest pubs is enjoying a new lease on life, after the first stage of a $4.5m renovation was completed by its national company owner.

Blue Mountain Hotel function manager Tracey Gillam and venue manager Andy Hinton toast the completion of stage one of the renovations at the historic hotel. Picture: Kevin Farmer

A beloved fixture on the side of the Toowoomba escarpment for more than 130 years, the Blue Mountain Hotel is finally enjoying a much-needed redevelopment.

National hospitality company ALH Group has completed the first stage of the Harlaxton pub’s revamp, including a new sports bar and revitalised gaming facilities.

The second and third stages will include redeveloping the remaining gaming room and bar, a refurbishment of the upstairs bistro and creating an outdoor function bar at a rear for special events.

In keeping with the New England Highway venue’s rich heritage dating back to 1890, pub manager Andrew Hinton said the $4.5m renovation balanced vintage style with modern amenities.

“It’s been an awesome journey from the start to finish, it began in November, that was the start of the demolition,” he said.

Blue Mountain Hotel venue manager Andy Hinton toasts the completion of stage one of the renovations of the historic hotel. Picture: Kevin Farmer

“We’ve restored all the heritage (elements) at the front and the new sports bar is where the old bottle shop was, which was the first in Toowoomba.

“It (looks) fantastic, I love the fact that we’ve made it modern but we’ve tried to keep the history.

“It’s a Great Gatsby style bar in a way, the finishings are still modern but they’ve got a vintage style.”

The view of the Harlaxton quarry and down into the Lockyer Valley as seen from the lawn at the back of the Blue Mountain Hotel, Tuesday, August 9, 2022. Picture: Kevin Farmer

Mr Hinton said the pub currently had a dozen staff, but that would nearly triple once all renovations were done.

He said long-time patrons were already enjoying the new additions.

“They’ve been blown away by the work that’s been done,” Mr Hinton said.

“Someone said it was sensational, that was one of the comments from patrons.”

The final renovations are expected to be completed later this year.

The Blue Mountain Hotel under renovation on New England Highway, back in May. Picture: Kevin Farmer