Plans to transform a historic pub in the middle of a bustling Sunshine Coast tourist precinct into the first Queensland venue of a famed Western Australian brewery have been approved.
Joe’s Waterhole at Eumundi, which dates back to the 1890s when it was the Commercial Hotel, was sold for $5.3 million to Good Drinks Australia Ltd early last year.
Late last year Good Drinks revealed its plans to revamp Joe’s Waterhole into a hospitality venue and microbrewery for the well-known Matso’s brand.
Matso’s is a brewery that was born in Broome in 2000. It is now famous for its ginger beer and mango beer, and has a range of seven products available in bottleshops around Australia.
But while redevelopment plans were only needing to be fine-tuned, Good Drinks was still waiting on the proposal’s final tick of approval from Sunshine Coast Council.
Good Drinks head of hospitality Lee Behan said they were beyond thrilled to hear the plans had been approved by council.
“We can’t wait to throw the doors open to Matso’s Sunshine Coast,” he said.
“We are excited to move into the next phase.
“Eumundi is a great town, and the Sunshine Coast is a very special part of the world.
“There’s a lot of similarities between our original home and the Sunshine Coast. We feel the brewery will be a welcome addition to the town, and we’re confident it’ll become a favourite for locals and tourists alike.”
The proposal to establish a medium impact industry (microbrewery) and development permit for building work, which involved the partial demolition of a local heritage place, was signed off by the council – but not without public scrutiny and council’s conditions.
“We are happy with the conditions,” Mr Behan said.
“The council has been supportive since day one, and we appreciate its feedback and backing.
“Like any redevelopment of this size, it was open to public submissions. All the submissions were fair and measured regarding the development.
“We have worked through the submissions and engaged with our neighbours to provide a fence and plant screening to help increase privacy, while ensuring the plants and fence support the native fauna in the area.”
Mr Behan explained the partial demolition of a heritage place was a small section of the Joe’s Waterhole outhouse upstairs.
“It’s not visible from the street front and wasn’t part of the initial fabric of the building,” he said.
“It’s basically an added-on shower room that sits lower than the rest of the upstairs area. We will reconfigure this space and make it flow better.”
The development proposal was also approved despite non-compliance with some assessment benchmarks.
“The application was approved due to the small size and scale of the microbrewery,” he said.
“It’s not a huge production facility. It’s only a small brew kit to service the venue. With the technology available in these brew kits these days there is no noise, odour or light pollution.”
Last November, Matso’s hosted a community night where locals were invited to meet the project team in the venue, be part of a Q&A, see the plans, meet the architects and have a say on the project.
“The community night went really well and we had a great turn out for it,” he said.
Related story: Sneak peek into historic pub’s major overhaul plans
“It was nice to meet face-to-face with Eumundi locals and business owners to hear what they had to say, and get some input on what we are trying to achieve.
“The feedback and support for the project has been overwhelming and we can’t wait to bring this project to life.”
He said from the outset it had been the team’s goal to keep the heritage of the pub while giving the venue a freshen up.
“We think our plan strikes that balance, and the feedback from the locals reflects that,” he said.
“It’s been great working with the local community to help shape what Matso’s Sunshine Coast is all about.
Related story: Big plans brewing for iconic Coast pub after $5.3m sale
“We know that Joe’s has a strong history in town, and we’re looking forward to retaining that heritage throughout the renovations, while showcasing the fun and good times that Matso’s is all about.”
He said building was expected to to start in the next month or so, and is on track to open late 2023.
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