DESIGN & BUILD: VICTORIA PARK HOTEL

A playground for young and old

An old billiards hall made way for a massive beer garden at Victoria Park Hotel, welcoming families, sports lovers and anyone else wanting to soak up some sun.

Images by ShotByThom

WHEN AUSTRALIAN Venue Co (AVC) purchased the Victoria Park Hotel in Perth off Coles, the pub had very little outdoor seating. Instead it had a cavernous billiards hall that took up almost the entire back half of the property. That space had seen better days both in terms of use and wear. The area clearly needed a rethink, and taking advantage of Perth’s ideal weather was a no-brainer for the AVC team.

“There was obviously a huge opportunity to develop it,” states AVC’s WA state manager Joe Bailey.

With that in mind, Bailey and his team took to the community to see what they wanted from the pub. It’s one of three pubs along the Albany Highway in the area, and it was the most in need of revitalisation. From those conversations with locals, the idea of a huge beer garden where everyone was welcome emerged.

“When we started working on the concept we were thinking about building a pub for everyone and every occasion. So we really looked at Vic Park as a whole and the demographic, we spoke to the locals. So whether you wanted to come watch the footy with the boys, or have a celebration or bring the children or your dog, everyone would gel together in the space,” explains Bailey.

A drone shot of the new beer garden

“It needed to be a versatile and welcoming space for everyone. So one of the big things for that was a big garden, an open area, and obviously this one is quite a large open area. And we’ve incorporated into it a kids playground and that’s been a huge hit for families.”

Putting heads together

AVC engaged Donnelly Design and One World Builders to help design and construct the new beer garden space, who worked hand in hand with the pub group’s own internal venue development team who come at any renovation project with their hospitality experience in mind.

“When we do a project we work very closely with all departments – operations, marketing and also our property department – so there’s generally a decent cast working together to deliver these projects,” says Bailey.

Tony Donnelly, principal of Donelly Design, says that collaboration with the AVC team was crucial.

“It’s incredibly important having great clients that know what they want, so you can hit the nail on the head really quickly. The beauty of that for AVC is they’ve got that team and it expedites the process. And then you can form things around that and throw your own ideas at them, but when everyone gels like that it’s really good.”

Plans for the beer garden got underway in 2019, but were put on hold in early 2020 as covid gripped the nation and kept Western Australia shut to the rest of the country for quite some time. Design was resumed late last year, and construction on the massive beer garden started in February this year. The space – known as The Park – was completed and opened in May.

Sections of the whole

Including the indoor/outdoor bar, The Park renovation, covering 800 sqm, cost $2.3 million. At first glance it may seem like a lot to spend on a beer garden alone, but the space effectively doubled the footprint of the pub, and allows it to host another 450 people within the space. Bailey considers it money well spent.

The new bar serves both the beer garden and the inside of the hotel

“I think from a per square metre [perspective] it was the right number to spend because of the scale and size of the project and what we did to it. But I don’t think it’s excessive. There were some significant works in removing roofs, and structural stuff like having to put cellars in and expand kitchens. But it’s certainly not like we’ve splashed out on fittings of marble or anything like that in the venue. But I think just for the sheer size that’s where the project landed.”

The new space now includes in one corner a family area with low-table seating and a large kids’ playground replete with a large wooden structure that looks like the trams that used to run down Albany Highway. On the opposite side of the main entry from the carpark is an area with high-table seating and lots of screens, perfect for sports viewing. There are also lots of small nooks tucked away along the walls of the space to afford patrons some semi-private dining and socialising experiences. The whole area is then services by the indoor/outdoor bar that connects the new beer garden with the front half of the hotel.

While the entire space is very open, there are clear delineations between the areas suitable for families and those without kids or pets. Donnelly says this was achieved by creating natural buffer zones.

“The most important thing there is space. So if you can create a buffer zone between those areas that’s fantastic. Luckily with Vic Park you’ve got so much space that you can do that. Most of the time you delineate those spaces with major walkways, entries – think of it as arteries and veins.”

A casual vibe

All the design details of The Park ensure that the space is one that feels casual and welcoming to anyone. This was very important to the AVC team.

“We really didn’t want people having to think ‘is this for me?’ Everyone who has come in knows it’s a really welcoming hotel,” states Bailey.

Part of creating that casual inviting atmosphere was the selection of materials. Concrete, artifical turf and breezeblock walls all immediately convey that It’s a hardy space that can be well-used by anyone without any worry.

“Things like the breezeblock walls around the bathrooms really informalises the space. Tiled surfaces are a lot more formal than breezeblocks, which almost has that found object look, so in a way you’re bringing a more eclectic look to it by bringing that in. That was the idea because the last thing you want is for people to feel like it’s not somewhere where they can just let the kids run around and use. It’s got to almost be a utility space,” suggests Donnelly.

A bit more colour and style was then added through the bar, with the sue of blue and white tiles, as well as bronze accents. Other details throughout the space include neon light wall hangings, joinery items like mirrors, and lots of greenery.

But of course the big wow factor in the space are the murals painted by local artists. These reflect the area, with black swans denoting the Swan River, and also a painting of Queen Victoria, who the pub was named after.

Murals painted by local artists are a highlight of the new space

“Everywhere you look in the backdrop we’ve got the graphics and the artwork. And that lightens the whole thing. It’s what makes it,” states Donnelly. “The artists did such a great job. It’s spectacular, it’s the punch. I love it so much.”

The space is loved by locals too, with The Park getting lots of great feedback since opening. Bailey was at the venue everyday for the first three weeks of trading and said patrons were nothing but positive.

“It was so good to have people come up and say we absolutely love it, thank you so much for doing this. People weren’t trying to pick faults, they just thought it was amazing which was a really good feeling for us.”

Trade has been doing well since then, and Bailey expects it to get even better as the weather starts to warm.

“It’s doing very well for us and we’ve only traded in winter so far. We can’t wait to see what summer brings.”