32 Esplanade

Queenstown TAS 7467

The current business operators lease the property from National Trust of Australia (Tasmania), a non-government, member based community organisation which works to identify and conserve Tasmania's heritage for present and future generations to enjoy. A fresh 5 year lease with two 5-year options is available to the successful buyer subject to the National Trust approval.
The bed and breakfast operation has been going since 1995 with the current owners of husband and wife team in charge since 2008. The business has an excellent reputation and excellent reviews on all the major sites. It was recently awarded a certificate of excellence and is ranked no 1 on A a E TripAdvisor'. The client base is varied and is made up of domestic and international tourists as well as regular corporate and government clients. The property offers unique accommodation with amazing views. It is steeped in history and offers great facilities for regular and passing travellers.
Occupancy rates have been steadily improving year on year and are currently at approx. 49% annual average, which has produced a turnover of approx. $147k
The business is easy to operate and the need for outside help is optional (one housekeeper is currently employed on casual basis for about 25 hours a week). Currently, breakfast is offered with accommodation and in-house a-la-carte dinning with wine is available on request so cooking skills would be advantageous but can be learned on the job. The business is licensed to serve alcohol to guests from an open bar so bar handling skills would also be handy.
The Property
This heritage-listed property is dramatically sited on a hill top overlooking Queenstown. This impressive historical mansion sits on approx. 2.6 acres of manicured grounds close to the town centre and the train station. The property consists of a magnificent Federation style (circa 1898) two-level home in excellent condition throughout that is currently operating as a traditional bed and breakfast. It was the home of Robert Sticht, the first mine manager of the Mount Lyell Mining and Railway company who developed the company into the largest industrial enterprise in Tasmania during the early twentieth century. The property is named A a E Penghana' after the name of the original town that preceded Queenstown (it was destroyed by a bush fire in 1896).
The house has original features that give it a welcoming and warm feel and large windows throughout that overlook an established and well-kept garden with attractive panoramic views of the town and the surrounding mountains. The open fire places and the high ceilings along with the antique furnishings give it wonderful old-world charm and enhance the guests' experience.
Part of this large home is a manager's residence, which can be accessed from the kitchen or the carport on the ground level. This private section consists of two bedrooms, a bathroom and a comfortable living area with fireplace.
The ground level contains a grand entrance foyer with intricate stain glass windows, a spacious dining room with an adjoining breakfast room, an office, an impressive billiard/ballroom, a well-stocked roomy bar, a well-equipped commercial kitchen with a large pantry, a linen room, a laundry and a bathroom. In addition, a workshop and a store room are accessed from the carport.
The second level can be accessed from the front or back staircases which were handmade from Blackwood and Huon Pine. These splendid staircases lead to a guest lounge, a guest kitchen and six guest rooms that can accommodate up to 13 guests. The guest rooms are generous in size and are well appointed for the comfort of guests. All rooms include TV units and wireless internet.
The A a E Owen' is a stately master suite with a queen bed and ensuite bathroom, a dressing room and a small balcony with breathtaking uninterrupted views of Mt Owen. The A a E Huxley', the A a E Lyell' and the A a E Sedgwick' have queen beds, ensuite bathrooms and views of the rugged west coast terrain from their windows. The A a E Jukes Twin' has two king single beds and shares a bathroom with the A a E Jukes Double', which contains a queen bed and a king single (those two together make an ideal family suite and are quite popular).
The Location
The property is in Queenstown, the largest town on Tasmania's West Coast. It is located in a valley on the western slopes of Mount Owen approx. 154 km from Burnie, 248 km from Hobart and 41 km from Strahan. The town and district attracts significant number of tourists keen to experience this unique town with its atmosphere of an historic mining town (it was once the richest mining town in the world), complete with 19th century buildings, and unusual surrounding mountainous landscape which fascinates visitors with its A a E cratered moonscape'. Queenstown is the terminus of the West Coast Wilderness Railway, one of the world's great railway journeys, and is a definite stopover on the car hire A a E circuit' of Tasmania and for organised tours. In contrast to the scarred hills, brought about by the intense historical mining of the area, there are nearby wilderness walks through dense wildlife-inhabited forest to disused tramlines and mine shafts, lookouts and waterfalls, including Montezuma Falls (Tasmania's highest). There's also trout fishing in several surrounding lakes.
INSPECTIONS ARE STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT.