Great Northern Hotel
As summer draws near and pubs are set to reopen, your Cooks Hills favourites are bringing something new to the Lake locals.
Owners of the Commonwealth Hotel, Cath Antaw, and Stewart Smith, know an opportunity when they see one. The Cooks Hill team is expanding their tap beer talents to Teralba, giving new life to The Great Northern Hotel.
The new sister business to the Commonwealth Hotel, the Great Northern Hotel will bring all the charm and homeliness from Cooks Hill to Teralba. Offering a place for locals to come to socialise, drink a well-poured beer, and be spoilt with quality food, this destination is sure to be a keen summer hotspot.
“We’re keeping our focus on our warm and friendly customer service, on our quality food, and offering good-poured draft beer,” Cath says, “Every pub we’ve been in ourselves, the hotel is a part of the community, and that’s what we endeavour to create. A safe friendly environment for the community.”
Set to be led by publican Jackson Allan, the team is looking forward to bringing a fun and inviting experience to the area. Despite being new to the role of the publican, Jackson has worked closely with both Cath and Stu over the last three years to create strong connections with the community in Cooks Hill, quickly becoming a face and name any Commo regular would recognize.
Upon taking over the Great Northern prior to lockdown, the early 1900s establishment was all but bones and broken keno machines. A blessing in disguise, the most recent lockdown has allowed for the team to dive in and transform the pub, providing a much-needed facelift to the building, and a breath of fresh air to locals looking forward to returning to the once-popular spot.
Jackson has already been hard at work to ensure he is ready for the challenge that comes with opening a new venue. From transforming the run-down bar space to meeting the locals while running the takeaway kitchen, the young publican is excited to see how he can connect with his new community.
“Cooks Hill is different to Teralba, it has its own demographic,” Stuart says, “We want to keep our values the same across the locations but get to really know the people there to be sure we’re doing what we can to create a community hub.”
In a prime location opposite the Teralba train station, and adjacent to the Great North Walk, the re-opening of this business is set to bring back to life the pub-going nature to both locals and travelers alike.
Throughout the most recent lockdown, the team has delivered a takeaway food menu to its neighboring suburbs. Offering locals a first glimpse at the new establishment, with a staple pizzeria menu already proving to be a crowd-pleaser. The new kitchen will continue operating Wednesday through Sunday upon the pub’s complete opening, offering a wide range of options for anyone looking to test out their new menu.
The official opening of the Great Northern is set to coincide with the end of lockdown, the team is excited to be opening its doors to patrons on Monday 11th October. So if you’re a Teralba local, or even just someone looking to exercise their freedoms from their LGA, swing by the new spot in town a drink in the bar, or some dinner in the beer garden.