Melbourne's beloved Bendigo Hotel is on the market for around $300,000.
The Collingwood pub known as The Bendi has long been a cornerstone of the city’s live music scene. The Bendigo Hotel has hosted an impressive run of international and local acts over the years, earning a loyal following and a solid reputation as one of Melbourne’s great music pubs.
Current owners have spent big on a full renovation, repositioning the venue as a multi-income pub and brewery taproom while keeping its live music DNA intact.
The Bendigo Hotel
- Collingwood
- Asking price around $300,000
- Late Night General Licence (3am on-site, 11pm off-site)
- Capacity of 300
- Enquiries via Bar Sales Melbourne
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The Bendigo Hotel has been part of Collingwood’s fabric for more than 150 years. Originally opened in 1871 as The Collingwood Arms, the pub was purchased by Carlton Brewery in 1887 and rebuilt in 1911 in an Art Nouveau-influenced Edwardian style designed by architects Sydney Smith and Ogg. Its brick facade, oriel corner towers and period detailing remain largely intact today.
For 14 years under previous ownership, The Bendi carved out a reputation as one of Melbourne’s go-to rooms for heavy, punk and alternative music, hosting sweaty local sets and international tours across its two band rooms. The venue was forced to close in early 2024 after struggling to recover from the pandemic, but was revived later that year when The Mill Brewery took over, bringing live music back to the Johnston Street corner alongside their brewery taproom operations.
More than just a pub
The venue is stacked with infrastructure. A main bar extends to a secondary service area overlooking the primary stage and band room, with a fully equipped commercial kitchen, three cool rooms and 16 taps running on a glycol beer system. There’s also a bottle shop, a lounge and dining area with pool table, a dog-friendly beer garden, a second upstairs band and function room, a green room, offices and a self-contained two-bedroom apartment with its own laneway entrance.
The lease is due for renewal in August with four further five-year terms available, and current rent sits at $3,060 per week including GST. The sale includes an extensive fixtures and fittings list, plus the venue’s social media following and email database.
Multiple revenue streams are already ticking along, from bar and food trade to live music, private functions, packaged liquor and accommodation. The owners say trading figures have been climbing month on month since the renovation wrapped up, and the sale is driven purely by a desire to focus on their core brewery business.
For more information, head here.
