$25M Baillie Hill project set to transform East Victoria Park into a lifestyle hospitality hub

A tired and “dingy” corner of East Victoria Park is about to get a new lease on life, with a $25 million hospitality precinct on the way.

The team behind The Leederville Hotel revamp is bringing its playbook south of the river, with the green light given for the Baillie Hill project. Built around the old Elizabeth Baillie House on Hill View Terrace, the precinct promises a mix of family-friendly and after-dark options — from a café, gelato shop and childcare centre, through to two flagship venues: Milly’s, designed for kids and parents, and The Berwick Bar & Kitchen, pitched as “a classic local drinking hall.”

Hospitality partner Carl Leembruggen said Elizabeth Baillie Park had been “very dull and dingy” with “nothing going on.” He sees the new precinct as a chance to re-energise the area: “This ‘lifestyle precinct’… allows people not only to enjoy a variety of hospitality venues, like traditional hubs, but rejuvenate, re-energise, and reconnect with friends while your little ones can scurry around.”

The Town of Victoria Park is backing the plan with upgrades to the park itself — an amphitheatre, new playground, landscaping and a pedestrian link to the train station.

“The town council is also renovating and redeveloping the actual park into an amphitheatre for events, a brand new playground and public toilets, and brand new landscaping with new tree plantings to go in,” Leembruggen said.

“Eventually there’s also going to be a pedestrianised thoroughfare that connects the park to Oak Street train station.”
Australian Hotels Association WA chief executive Bradley Woods said the move reflects a trend: “Yagan Square’s revitalisation and the planned Baillie Hill in East Victoria Park are part of a broader trend that includes existing precincts such as Elizabeth Quay, The Beaufort and Fremantle’s FOMO.”

He also noted difficulties that may be faced.

“The trade-off is that competition can be fierce, operating costs may be higher, and the fortunes of each venue can be tied to the precinct’s overall success,” he said.

“The mix of venues creates a buzz and energy that’s hard for a single operator to match, driving strong foot traffic and making shared events or promotions more effective.”

For Leembruggen, collaboration is the key.

“High tides raise all boats,” he said.

“A hospitality precinct doesn’t really talk about the four walls that encapsulate my operational sites; it captures the entire Leederville Village Square — looking at Leederville more as a food, beverage, and entertainment hub.”

“We need other people and other tenants to do well within the village square, that way more people come to visit hospitality precincts.

“If you’re all fighting against each other, then it’s not going to really do much good.”
Leembruggen said the Leederville precinct, which brings together four venues, caters to a wide variety of experiences.

“Servo is open on the weekends for breakfast, and it’s more around that all-day hedonism, the Garden is just a nice, beautiful outdoor landscape oasis, the Leederville Hotel is your classic Australiana sports pub, and the Red Room nightclub keeps the energy going into the night,” he said.

Jonathan Jackson, 2^nd September 2025