Mathieson heirs extend Queensland buying spree
Black Rhino Group, led by Melbourne’s David Tomsic and wife, Deborah Mathieson-Tomsic, have snapped up a prominent Fraser Coast hotel and bottle shop.
The freehold going concern of the Granville Tavern & Motel at 23 Odessa Street, with the Cambridge Street Bottle Shop, in Maryborough, were offered by veteran operators the Hooper family after more than 15 years.
A gaming room has 20 electronic gambling machines.
The unrenovated asset also derives revenue from a bar, bistro, and accommodation.
JLL’s Christian Tsalikis and Tom Gleeson brokered the off-market deal.
Black Rhino wins more EGMs
Black Rhino operates about 50 venues – some as leaseholds – in Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia.
It has been aggressively scaling its EGM portfolio, holding some of the most valuable gaming entitlements in regional drive-catchments.
In August, it bought the Club Hotel in Roma along with two bottle shops from Speedy Cocktails, associated with local operator Barry Waldron.
That deal needed ACCC approval, with Black Rhino already holding the Royal on Ninety-Nine complex nearby (continues below).
Portfolio of 50
Deborah Mathieson-Tomsic is the daughter of veteran hotelier Bruce Mathieson, the pioneer behind ALH Group whose family lineage spans over 12,000 electronic gaming machines nationally and an estimated 45 per cent market share of Victorian hotel gaming entitlements.
Her sister, Jodi Grollo, and husband Gianni operate PubCo Group, with a portfolio of Victorian licensed venues carrying hundreds of EGM entitlements.
Their brother, Bruce Junior, also invests in pubs, in 2022 buying venues in Sydney’s Paddington and Brisbane’s Woolloongabba.
Elsewhere in Queensland, Black Rhino owns the St George Hotel at St George, the Hotel Hinchinbrook at Ingham, and Overlander at Mount Isa – the latter a large-format gaming asset with 40 EGMs.
Its Victorian portfolio includes the historic Craig’s Royal Hotel in Ballarat, acquired from John and Mary Finning for more than $12m in 2020, with 45 EGMs.
It also bought a Pakenham growth corridor pub in 2022, outlaying $24.5m.
Maryborough is about 30 kilometres south-west of Hervey Bay. It is about 250 km north of Brisbane.
Subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page.
