Ex-Wallaby Bill Young buys Epping Hotel for $50m
Former Wallabies player turned publican Bill Young has bought the Epping Hotel in Sydney's north-west for $50 million, targeting the venue's gaming growth and long-term development potential.
The deal follows the Ryan family's $100 million purchase of the Royal Oak Hotel in Double Bay three weeks ago.
The almost century-old Epping Hotel, was sold by property developer Lyon Group, which acquired it in 2018. The pub has 27 poker machines and a TAB, and sits on a 1350sq m site opposite Epping Station. Average weekly revenue exceeds $234,000, or more than $12.1 million annually across gaming, bar, bottle shop and food operations.
Young said he views the venue as one of the most strategically positioned hotel assets in metropolitan Sydney. "The venue benefits from outstanding transport connectivity, a rapidly growing catchment and a strong existing trading platform."
JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group's Ben McDonald and Gus Moors marketed the property and reported broad investor interest, which they said reflected demand for metropolitan hotels with strong real estate fundamentals and diversified earnings. Epping sits between Parramatta CBD, Macquarie Park and the Sydney CBD, and its population is forecast to grow by about 31 per cent over the next decade.
McDonald said the result reflected the depth of demand for quality metropolitan hotel assets with both scale and operational upside. "The level of engagement throughout the campaign was outstanding and reinforced the strength of investor appetite for strategically located Sydney hotel assets with genuine value-add potential," he said, adding the hotel has strong existing cashflow, gaming growth and long-term development opportunities.
"The breadth and quality of buyer participation was among the strongest we have seen for a metropolitan campaign in recent years."
Young, who retired from rugby in 2006 due to injury, adds the Epping Hotel to a portfolio that includes the Concord Hotel, Royal Hotel Ryde, Five Dock Hotel, Palace Hotel Mortlake, Illinois Hotel, Bar Broadway in Sydney's CBD and the Gem Hotel in Griffith.
Jonathan Jackson, 8th October, 2026
