Iconic rugby family scores a $16M try after selling regional hotel

The rugby-playing Burke family has sold their Northside Hotel to fund manager Harvest Hotels for $16.2 million.

The Burke’s who owned the hotel since 2005 are well known sportsmen and publicans.

Patriarch Peter Burke played first grade rugby league for Manly. His sons Brad and Matthew also played rugby league for Manly, as well as rugby union for both Randwick and the Wallabies.

The purchase of Northside Hotel is the sixth significant regional acquisition by Harvest Hotels.

“The Northside Hotel marries well with our existing Albury asset in the form of Brady’s Railway Hotel,” Harvest’s Chris Cornforth said.

“Scalable assets such as Northside align perfectly with our investment criteria, and we will continue to add quality large format pubs in quality regional towns where we see opportunities for upside on a sustainable basis,” he said.

The large format 4,696sqm hotel includes 24 poker machines, a late liquor licence and a separate detached bottle shop positioned across the road from the popular watering hole.

The sale is another on a growing list of regional hotel sales in the past 12 months.

Irit Jackson, 14th December 2021