Club hotel lives again

Adam Tomlinson hopes his new venture will breathe new life into Nambour’s CBD as he restores the historic 109-year-old heritage listed building ... “I think there’s tremendous opportunity here”.

The old Club Hotel rose from the ashes in 1938 after fire destroyed its original building. Fast-forward to 2020 and the 109-year-old heritage listed site is being given a new lease of life as Stalwart Alehouse and Brewery.  

The venue will be the first business to take advantage of Council’s new special entertainment precinct designation, intended to attract more hospitality businesses to the area. 

Brewer Adam Tomlinson hopes his venture will breathe life into Nambour’s CBD. “I’d like it to be part of the emerging social scene,” Mr Tomlinson said. “Nambour is at the bottom of the market right now but I think there’s tremendous opportunity here.

“This area has the potential to be another Ocean Street Maroochydore. And then there’s potential for Friday night markets. You could have hundreds and hundreds of people out there enjoying different clubs and music and flavours of the world food experiences.

“I want people to be proud to live in Nambour and proud that Stalwart Brewing is a big part of town. Who knows, maybe it will become a reason people in the future choose to live here.

“I’ve always had a dream of creating a place where my family and friends could come and feel relaxed and comfortable and leave their worries at the door and have a great time. I want to pass that on to the community.  I want the locals to be proud of this place. We’ve just got to provide good service, good food and good beer.”

Mr Tomlinson has been selling beer commercially as a “gypsy brewer” for the past three years and last week left his job as a surveyor to take on his new venture. “I’m taking a big gamble. It’s my first time running a business, first time employing people, first time having my own micro- brewery.”

Mr Tomlinson said he wasn’t even considering Nambour CBD at first because he was looking to follow the usual micro brewery model where owners set up in industrial sheds.

“I’ve often driven past here and thought ‘wow this would be a good place to have it’, but it was always out of my price range. But I think the owner was excited by the concept and the place had been vacant for four years. So we came to an arrangement.”

Mr Tomlinson’s interest in craft beer was sparked in the United States. “I spent Christmas 2008 with my wife in America and a friend took me on a craft beer tour and that’s how I developed a passion for brewing. My grand plan is to one day be all around Australia. But it will hope- fully all start from here.”

The original pub on the site was built in 1911 in the old Queenslander style before the 1938 fire. “I believe the old hotel was so popular that they rebuilt it by the end of the same year,” said Mr Tomlinson.

Stalwart was founded in 2017 as a contract brewing outfit. Mr Tomlinson has launched three beers, an American Pale Ale ‘The Sacred Chief’, a Golden Ale ‘The Dreamtime Warrior’ and ‘The Courageous Captain’, an IPA, which were inspired by Mr Tomlinson’s diverse heritage, and have been featured in a number of Brisbane and Sunshine Coast venues.

Raymond Vonder & Joel Young from the Good Food Fellas will be running the kitchen.