The Commonwealth Hotel at Cooks Hill has sold and another suburban Newcastle pub is up for grabs.
The Commonwealth sold for an undisclosed amount to regional NSW hotelier Ben Lawler - whose Local Hospitality Group commands a stable of country pubs in Dubbo, Wagga and Camden - and Ashton Waugh, the son of renowned hotel owner Bill Waugh, who owned and operated one of the largest stables of pubs in NSW before his death in 2004.
The Cooks Hill establishment on Union Street was previously owned and operated by Stew Smith and Cath Antaw, who overhauled the pub and menu over the past six years. Mr Smith and Ms Antaw had previously owned the Exchange Hotel on Beaumont Street.
The sale was handled by HTL Property director Blake Edwards and national director Dan Dragicevich, who said Newcastle had proven a "real magnet for investor interest" over the past few years.
HTL Property declined to disclose the sale amount when contacted by the Newcastle Herald Wednesday afternoon.
The agents' website also lists a call for expressions of interest in the sale of the Lambton Park Hotel on Moorehead Street.
The sale of the Commonwealth follows that of another iconic city watering hole also managed by HTP Property, when Merewether's Beach Hotel sold for more than $30 million to Sydney hotelier Glenn Piper and a small syndicate, including three locals.
That sale followed a controversial Land and Environment Court ruling to approve plans for a $3 million renovation of the landmark city pub, as well as approval to open its ground floor to 3am each night except Sunday.
Hotelier Andrew Lazarus had purchased the hotel in 2019 before it sold to Mr Piper in May last year.
The details of this report are developing. It will be updated.
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