Construction has started on Googong’s multi-million dollar pub, and the town’s planners say there’s more building to come. Image: May + Russell Architects.
Work has started on a $25 million development set to bring a new watering hole to Googong.
Plans were lodged in 2023 for the Googong Hotel, which has been designed by May + Russell Architects.
Googong executive Glen Frew said the start of construction was a long-awaited moment.
“It’s a great milestone for us. It really means the start of our town centre and the construction side of things,” he said.
Googong developers Peet and Mirvac have partnered with Queanbeyan Royal Hotel publicans Anthony and Sandy McDonald for the project, which is expected to open in late 2026.
Once built, it will include hotel facilities, a bistro, an additional restaurant, a lounge, bar and beer garden, function rooms, a sports bar, gaming room, and a dedicated kids play area.
The venue will have space to accommodate more than 700 patrons, and a function space designed to host up to 400 guests.
Street approvals also allow for up to 10 road closures a year, which Mr Frew said would allow the hotel to connect directly with the park during community events.
“It [the site] opens up onto Bunyip Park, which is where the lake is, so it’s going to be a great place,” he said.
“It’s going to be the vibrant heartbeat of the Googong community … it’s got things for everyone.”
For Mr Frew, the hotel development will be another piece in the puzzle.
“This was part of our original master plan. We’d always developed the town centre with the hotel in mind.
“It’ll provide convenience, employment and community connectivity for all the residents and the visitors.”
Another large-scale project on the cards is the Googong Town Centre.
In 2023, Coles was revealed as the anchor tenant.
The supermarket chain will join a medical centre, gym, library, community centre, childcare space and about 20 other shops (including restaurants and fast food outlets) in the retail centre.
Mr Frew said the developers were working to finalise designs for the town centre, with many of the outlets and businesses already “locked in”.
The Googong Town Centre is expected to open by early 2028. Photo: Googong Township Facebook.
It will also be adjacent to Googong’s Bunyip Park and accompanied by three major carparks.
Mr Frew said announcements on the centre’s make-up could be expected in the next “12 to 18 months”.
Googong, which celebrated its 10th anniversary over the past year, is home to more than 8000 people.
More than 18,000 people are expected to live in the township by the time of the centre’s completion.
Mr Frew said Googong Hotel and other planned developments – such as an aquatic and sports centre that would feature an eight-lane pool, children’s splash area and indoor sports courts – were part of the developers’ planning for that larger population.
“Our township has got 32 per cent open space … We are predicting that the development will continue until around 2034, so we’ve still got a while to go,” he said.
