Former Wallaby Bill Young scores $50m Gem Hotel deal
Former Wallaby-turned-publican Bill Young has made his first big play in the regional pub market, snapping up Griffith’s Gem Hotel for $50 million. The purchase is the largest regional hotel deal in New South Wales this year and adds a seventh venue to the Young family’s growing pub empire.
With 29 poker machine entitlements, the Bull & Bell Steakhouse, 65 four-star hotel rooms and annual revenue north of $13 million, The Gem is considered one of the most profitable regional pubs ever to hit the market.
“We’re delighted with the acquisition of The Gem, and look forward to further enhancing the already outstanding reputation the hotel and the proud Riverina district is known for,” Young said.
Young’s Sydney portfolio already includes Bar Broadway in Chippendale, the Illinois and Five Dock Hotels, the Royal Hotel Top Ryde, the Concord Hotel, and Mortlake Hotel, alongside the Wisemans Ferry Inn on the Hawkesbury. The ex-Wallaby also runs Baroola Cattle Station near Cowra.
The sale comes from hotelier Jim Knox, who has been steadily consolidating his portfolio. Knox bought Griffith’s Area Hotel for around $8 million in 2019 and sold it for about $30 million last year.
“The Gem has been an extraordinary part of our business journey. We are proud of the scale and reputation the hotel has achieved, and I’m confident it is in excellent hands with Bill Young and his team,” Knox said.
The Gem now sits alongside some of the biggest regional pub deals in recent years, including the Port Macquarie Hotel at $53 million, Orange’s Robin Hood Hotel at $47.4 million and East Maitland’s Windsor Castle Hotel at $50.5 million.
HTL Property brokered the transaction, continuing its run of handling the state’s top regional pub sales. Managing director Andrew Jolliffe said: “The patent economic strength enjoyed by Griffith – and its surrounding area and driven primarily by agriculture, manufacturing and viticulture – provides a robust platform for sustainable long-term hotel trade. The landmark sale of the Gem Hotel sets a new benchmark not just in Griffith or the Riverina, but across the entire regional hospitality landscape.”
Jonathan Jackson, 26th August 2025
