Hi, it’s Adrian Bo here and today I’m outside the iconic Coogee Bay Hotel, just across the road here on Coogee Bay Road, to talk about its history and its potential future. Now imagine back in 1863, there were very few houses by today’s standards here in Coogee. But there was a growing community that now needed infrastructure. That led to the first school in the area being built right here on Coogee Bay Road in that same year of 1863. 10 years later the school had outgrown the site and so was moved, leading to the school being turned into what you see now being the Coogee Bay Hotel. As Coogee evolved into a substantial and sophisticated seaside resort, through infrastructure like the electric tram connecting this area to the CBD in 1902, the Coogee Bay Hotel became a central hub for the local community. As the Surf Life Saving Club was established in 1907 and the ill-fated Coogee Pier was constructed in 1928, the area went from strength to strength, being known as “Australia’s most beautiful seaside resort,” quote unquote, with the Coogee Bay Hotel continuing to be the local hub.

Over the years the site has included the establishment of live music as a venue, Selina’s primarily, which hosted bands like Midnight Oil, Crowded House, Cold Chisel, The Angels, as well as INXS and Nirvana. As well as the Marrah Restaurant, the Sports Bar, extended accommodation and conference facilities, and the bottle shop, being the Coogee Bay Barrel. In fact, there’s a great story about Nirvana playing at Selina’s in 1992. They had scheduled a 4-show tour at venues all across Sydney, but after playing two consecutive gigs at Selina’s, they cancelled the other shows and added two more gigs right here at Selina’s, or at the Coogee Bay Hotel as we know it. Apparently, over a million people came through the hotel in that particular 30-day period, which is absolutely extraordinary. Now, plans have just been submitted by the hotel’s owner, Mr. Chris Cheung, to redevelop the site around the heritage-listed Coogee Bay Hotel and beer garden, increasing the rooms from 19 to 29, adding a 6-story apartment building of 60 units above a new supermarket and other retail outlets. As well as the creation of what they call an “eat street” laneway and 3 levels of car parking delivering 227 parking spaces. This would involve demolition of Selina’s as we know it, the Boutique Hotel rooms, an apartment building on Vicar Street, and some shops on Coogee Bay Road. 12 years ago, a much larger proposal, focused on a 9-story development, was actually knocked back. Another piece of iconic local history has just been refurbished, the Coogee Oval grandstand which was built 97 years ago now, in 1924, has been completely overhauled.

Apparently the project was extended due to part of the old grandstand being in a considerably worse condition than what they originally had thought. The changing rooms and public amenities have also been upgraded, so the home of Randwick Rugby Union and the Randwick Petersham Cricket Club is now back to being a world-class venue. Now, I’ve sold so many properties within a stone’s throw of here during my 32 year career of selling real estate, including from recent memory: Apartment Number 10 at 74 Bream Street, which was a 76 square metre 2 bedroom apartment with no balcony or parking, which I sold for $1,100,000, being well above the reserve price. Also sold Apartment 2 at 174 Coogee Bay Road, a sub-50 square metre, 1 bedroom apartment, which I sold for 685. Also, I sold 28 at 14 Kidman Street, a 2 bedroom original condition apartment which sold for 1,070,000. The history of the Coogee Bay Hotel is something we locals should cherish. The potential redevelopment would be a new chapter for this local institution. However, I know there will be some significant resistance. Whether it goes ahead or not, I’m so passionate about retaining the stories and the history of our local community. I hope you are managing okay during this lockdown. Please keep continuing to smile and remain hopeful that we will return to normal by the end of the month. And always remember, your home is worth more with Adrian Bo.