Two years after its long-awaited revival, the Empire Hotel in South Townsville has closed once again. The century-old pub at 29–31 Tully Street, which reopened in September 2022 with a family-friendly fit-out including a beer garden, playground, and soccer field, was listed for sale or lease through Knight Frank in March 2025. This article covers the hotel’s history, location, ownership status, and what prospective buyers or curious locals should know.
Last checked: 2026-06-19
Location: South Townsville, Queensland, Australia · Type: Historic hotel and family-friendly pub · Established: 1901 · Current Status: Closed and available for sale or lease (as of March 2025) · Notable Features: Outdoor beer garden, TAB area, children’s playground, soccer field
How we researched this
Last checked: 2026-06-19.
Sources reviewed: Official venue website, real estate listing platform (Knight Frank), hospitality trade publication (PubTIC), map service (Apple Maps), social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram), trade publication (Drinks Digest).
No on-site visit, no staff interview, no access to financial records from the 2022–2024 operating period.
Empire Hotel at a glance
- Built in 1901 at 29–31 Tully Street, South Townsville, Queensland (Knight Frank Australia)
- Reopened 21 September 2022 after a refurbishment backed by a Townsville City Council grant (Empire Hotel Townsville official site)
- Closed around 2024; listed for sale or lease on 5 March 2025 via Knight Frank (Knight Frank Australia)
- Refurbished bar, kitchen, beer garden, TAB area, children’s playground, soccer field, and 15 accommodation rooms (PubTIC)
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | South Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
| Type | Historic hotel and family-friendly pub |
| Established | 1901 |
| Current status | Closed and available for sale or lease (as of March 2025) |
| Notable features | Outdoor beer garden, TAB area, children’s playground, soccer field |
| Accommodation | 15 rooms (described as blank canvas) |
| 2022 purchase price | AUD $2.2 million |
| Listing agent | Knight Frank Australia |
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Property name | Empire Hotel |
| Address | 29–31 Tully Street, South Townsville QLD |
| Year built | 1901 |
| Property type | Freehold hotel with upper-level accommodation |
| Bar and kitchen | Fully refurbished, trade-ready |
| Beer garden | Spacious outdoor area with playground |
| Sports facilities | Soccer field on site |
| Accommodation rooms | 15 rooms (blank canvas for incoming operator) |
| TAB area | Dedicated betting lounge |
| Listing agent | Knight Frank Australia |
| Sales process | Expressions of interest (no public price guide) |
Where is the Empire Hotel in Townsville?
Address and neighbourhood
The Empire Hotel occupies a prominent corner site at 29–31 Tully Street in South Townsville, a short walk from the central business district and Queensland Country Bank Stadium (Knight Frank Australia). The stadium location is significant: on event days, foot traffic from NRL games, concerts, and community events passes directly past the hotel’s frontage. The suburb of South Townsville sits just across Ross Creek from the main city centre, making it a transitional zone between the commercial core and the Port of Townsville.
The hotel’s own website described it as being at the heart of the city, a phrasing that reflects its corner position on a main thoroughfare rather than a remote outpost (Empire Hotel Townsville official site). Residential streets of century-old Queenslanders surround the pub, giving it a local catchment of established homes alongside the stadium precinct.
Getting there by car or public transport
Tully Street is accessible from the A1 (Flinders Highway) via the South Townsville exit. From Townsville city centre, the drive is roughly five minutes across the railway bridge. Apple Maps provides driving directions to 29–31 Tully Street. Public transport options include bus routes that serve the South Townsville corridor, though frequency is limited compared with the CBD core. For visitors arriving by air, Townsville Airport is about 15 minutes north by car.
Who owns the Empire Hotel Townsville?
Current owner details
The Empire Hotel was purchased in mid-2022 by local developer Brodie Jankovic in partnership with Rob Pearson and Katie Kelliher’s K and RK Investments (PubTIC). The acquisition price was approximately AUD $2.2 million. The ownership group also operates the nearby Australian Hotel in Townsville, which gives them existing local pub-management experience. Co-owner Katie Kelliher said after the closure that they remained interested in reopening the Empire, either as continued owners or as lessees. As of the March 2025 marketing campaign, the property is being offered for sale or lease, suggesting the current owners are seeking an exit or operational partner.
Recent sale listing agent
Knight Frank Australia, a global real estate agency, launched the sale or lease campaign on 5 March 2025 (Knight Frank Australia). The campaign markets the Empire as a trade-ready freehold hotel requiring only minor additional investment. No public sale price or guidance range has been disclosed; interested parties are invited to submit expressions of interest. Glen Cummins, partner at Knight Frank, described the property as an exceptional opportunity with a fully refurbished bar, kitchen, and amenities block.
What is the history of the Empire Hotel Townsville?
Opening and early years (1901)
The Empire Hotel opened in 1901 on a corner site in what was then a growing industrial and port suburb of Townsville (PubTIC). For more than a century, it operated as a local pub, serving generations of South Townsville residents. At one point the venue was briefly rebranded as the Republic Hotel during a period when some Australians sought to remove the British monarch as head of state, though it later reverted to the Empire name. After 101 years of continuous operation, the hotel closed in 2002 and entered nearly two decades of dormancy.
Recent revival and closure
In mid-2022, a consortium led by Brodie Jankovic and K and RK Investments acquired the long-dormant hotel for about $2.2 million (PubTIC). The new owners undertook a significant refurbishment, supported by a Townsville City Council Modernising Buildings and Activating Spaces grant designed to bring underused heritage buildings back into productive use. The revitalised Empire Hotel reopened on 21 September 2022 as a family-friendly venue with a clear vision: to create a hub where families could gather and relax (Empire Hotel Townsville official site).
The redevelopment included a large outdoor beer garden, a children’s playground, and a small soccer field — features that positioned the pub as a family destination rather than a traditional drinking-only hotel (Twin City Hotel Facebook post). Inside, the fit-out created a public bar with a TAB area, a fully operational kitchen, bistro seating, and a dedicated kids’ playroom. The upper level retained 15 accommodation rooms described as blank canvas, with a balcony overlooking the street.
Around early 2024, patrons arriving at the Empire found a notice on the door: the operators had made the difficult decision to close for a break. The notice added that this was not goodbye and that they hoped to see customers again soon (PubTIC quoting onsite notice). By March 2025, the property was being marketed for sale or lease, with co-owner Katie Kelliher publicly stating that the group remained interested in reopening but had simultaneously begun the sales process.
Empire Hotel timeline
- 1901: Empire Hotel opens on Tully Street, South Townsville. (PubTIC)
- 2002: After 101 years of operation, the hotel closes and enters a prolonged dormant period. (PubTIC)
- Mid-2022: Brodie Jankovic and K and RK Investments purchase the property for approximately AUD $2.2 million. (PubTIC)
- 21 September 2022: Empire Hotel reopens after a council-grant-supported refurbishment as a family-friendly pub. (Empire Hotel Townsville official site)
- Circa 2024: The hotel closes again; a notice cites a difficult decision to take a break. (PubTIC)
- 5 March 2025: Knight Frank launches a sale-or-lease campaign for the Empire Hotel. (Knight Frank Australia)
Is the Empire Hotel a good place to stay?
Guest reviews and ratings
The Empire Hotel is currently closed, so no booking experience is available at this time. During its 2022–2024 operational period, the venue marketed itself on Instagram as Townsville’s iconic family-friendly pub. Published guest reviews from that period are limited in the sources reviewed; no verified aggregate rating from a major booking platform was surfaced in this research. The official website emphasised the venue as a gathering place for families, suggesting that local trade rather than tourist accommodation was the primary focus.
Because the 15 upper-level rooms are described as blank canvas, there is no evidence these were ever brought into revenue-generating use during the 2022–2024 period. Anyone considering a stay would need to confirm with an incoming operator whether accommodation will be available.
Amenities and atmosphere
The refurbished ground-floor amenities are well documented. Knight Frank’s marketing material highlights a fully refurbished bar and kitchen that are trade-ready with only minor additional investment required (Knight Frank Australia). The outdoor beer garden, playground, and soccer field create a family-oriented atmosphere that differs from traditional pub environments. The TAB area caters to racing and sports punters, while the bistro seating and kids’ playroom suggest the venue was designed to capture the full day from lunch through evening.
The revamped Empire Hotel now boasts a spacious and inviting beer garden, a playground for children, and even a soccer field.
Twin City Hotel social post, describing the Empire Hotel revamp (Twin City Hotel Facebook post)
Proximity to Queensland Country Bank Stadium creates a natural event-day catchment. Knight Frank’s campaign explicitly notes the potential to capture trade from stadium events and from the nearby CBD residential catchment (Knight Frank Australia).
Alternatives to the Empire Hotel
For readers interested in the historic pub scene in Townsville, several other venues offer different trade-offs:
- Australian Hotel, Townsville: Operated by the same ownership group as the Empire Hotel, this established local pub carries less redevelopment risk and has a longer operating history in the city (PubTIC). It serves as a direct comparison for local pub performance.
- Other heritage pubs in North Queensland: The region contains several historic hotels that have maintained continuous operation, including venues in Charters Towers and Magnetic Island that offer established accommodation and dining.
For buyers specifically, the national pub market in 2025 includes much larger transactions — such as the Beach Hotel in Byron Bay at approximately AUD $140 million — that illustrate the scale difference between regional and trophy coastal assets (Drinks Digest).
Our recommendation
Best for: history buffs, potential investors, pub enthusiasts, local nostalgia seekers.
The Empire Hotel presents a genuine opportunity for a buyer or lessee who can bring consistent management and capture the event-day traffic from Queensland Country Bank Stadium. The 2022 refurbishment means the physical asset is modern and trade-ready, and the 15 rooms offer development upside for short-stay accommodation. However, the fact that a well-funded, council-supported revival closed within two years signals underlying risks around patronage levels, operating costs, or management fit.
facebook.com, pbs.org, static.heritage.org, instagram.com, americanprogress.org
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Empire Hotel famous?
It is one of South Townsville’s oldest surviving pubs, built in 1901, and after a two-decade dormancy it was revived in 2022 with a family-friendly concept that included a beer garden, playground, and soccer field — features that set it apart from traditional drinking hotels. The pub also briefly operated as the Republic Hotel during a period of republican sentiment in Australia (PubTIC).
What is the address of the Empire Hotel in Townsville?
29–31 Tully Street, South Townsville, Queensland 4810 (Knight Frank Australia).
How old is the Empire Hotel?
The Empire Hotel opened in 1901, making it more than 120 years old (PubTIC).
Is the Empire Hotel currently open?
No. The hotel closed around 2024 and as of March 2025 it is listed for sale or lease (Knight Frank Australia).
Is the Empire Hotel for sale?
Yes. Knight Frank listed the Empire Hotel for sale or lease on 5 March 2025. No public price has been disclosed; interested parties submit expressions of interest (Knight Frank Australia).
What amenities does the Empire Hotel have?
The property includes a fully refurbished bar and kitchen, a spacious outdoor beer garden, a children’s playground, a soccer field, a TAB area, a kids’ playroom, bistro seating, and 15 upper-level accommodation rooms described as blank canvas (PubTIC).
Who operates the Empire Hotel now?
The property is owned by K and RK Investments (Katie Kelliher and Rob Pearson) in partnership with local developer Brodie Jankovic. Co-owner Katie Kelliher has said the group is interested in reopening but has also begun marketing the property for sale or lease (PubTIC).
What was filmed at the Empire Hotel in Townsville?
No information about film or television productions at the Empire Hotel was found in the sources reviewed for this article.