Coogee Media

Iconic
If anyone has ever lived in or visited Coogee, they have probably visited the Coogee Bay Hotel. Located on the dress-circle position across from the Beach, it is the suburb's iconic hospitality venue. I remember sitting in a New Delhi (India) hotel some years back, and being told by a group of British backpackers that their ultimate destination after travelling around the world from their home would be a "very cool place you probably would not of heard of: the Coogee Bay Hotel, at a Beach also called Coogee"!

Drawn to Coogee's laid-back life-style, the Coogee Bay Hotel's outdoor beer garden has become the place where working-class punters, trades-people in their hi-vis uniforms, and Coogee locals rub shoulders with rock stars, business people and travellers from around the world. A schooner of beer in the afternoon sun, listen to a band, and "fine" dining, attract patrons to the Bay.

Coogee Bay Hotel Beer Garden in 2025

The Hotel takes up a large part of downtown Coogee. It sits on a 7,500 square metre site that covers much of the block on the corner of Arden Street and Coogee Bay Road and backing onto Vicar Street.

Early History
Coogee was gazetted as a village in 1838. The Coogee Bay Hotel building was constructed in the 1850s, but began life as a school run by George Edson "for young gentlemen." (You can read more about Edson and his school here). By 1873 a second storey had been added and it became a hotel. During the 1880s it was known as the Coogee Bay Family Hotel with Dr. Reginald Bligh Read as the proprietor. Read and his wife Elizabeth owned the building into the 1890s, although with others named as an official licensee. Then another doctor, Fred Tidswell (1867 - 26 February 1941), who owned historic Nugal Hall, was managing the hotel until 1910. Tidswell is best known for his distinguished medical career having done important research on the spread of bubonic plague, developing snake venom anti-venene, and the value of isolating patients with infectious diseases.

Coogee Bay Hotel c1930

Illustrious Owners
During the 20th century the Hotel has had some illustrious owners. It was owned for a long time by the beer baron Theodore "Theo" Trautwein, who at some stage also owned Coogee's other major hotel of the time, the Oceanic. During his family's ownership, it was said to rival the Hotel Australia as Sydney's most glamorous venue, although others saw it as having a somewhat rakish air. Around the start of World War One, a man who would later become the "king" of Sydney's Razor Gang thugs and "sly-grogger" (selling liquor without a licence), the infamous Phil "the Jew" Jeffs, started work at the hotel. At first he was a pageboy, then worked as a bouncer until he was finally sacked for theft from hotel guests' rooms.

The Hotel was later owned by Theo Trautwein's daughter Kath, who had married champion jockey David Hugh "Darby" Munro (1913 - 1966). They later divorced and Kath Munro, as she was then known, remained the owner. Noted Australian musician and songwriter, Ray Burton (he co-wrote I am Woman amongst other great hits) remembers what the hotel was like in that era:

" ... dozens of top bands would play "The Coogee Bay Hotel" to air their musical wares and of course to show off their "hard earned" chops to a room full of "super cool" Sydney Sider's. I played there off and on for many years in several different band configurations and I met the girl of my dreams there as well. Then like a fool, I let her get away and fly off to Europe without me. . . Damn! I was such an idiot! Anyway, the thing is, for me it was the era of "The Saints Band" when Kath Munro (OMG, I remember those cats!) who was still at the helm of the good ship "Coogee Bay Hotel" and after the shows Mrs. Munro would approve staff drinks out in the front room, the room with the big bay windows. I remember having after show drinks there with such notables such as Johnny Okeefe, The Delltones (I was a very young member at the time), Billy Thorpe, Peter Allen, Liza Minneli, The Bee Gees, Rob E G, Digger Revell and so many more national and international celebrities that are far too numerous to mention here. When I played there, "The Coogee Bay Hotel" didn't look too much different than it did in this 1940's photo. What a great venue it was. "

Beer Garden
The "beer garden" fronting Arden Street has been a favoured outdoor drinking area for generations. Kath Munro had a reputation for being tight with her money when it came to maintenance, and for a long time, patrons had to juggle their drinks on rickety, rusting outdoor garden furniture. When the last of the tall Norfolk Islands Pines that grew at the front of the Hotel died, she had them cut down and repurposed parts of the tree trunks as solid wooden tables.

Terry Page Takes Over

Funky plastic domes, 1980s Beer Garden

During a career from which he earned the title from some of "colourful racing personality", then bookmaker, Terry Page won the Coogee Bay Hotel from Kath Munro. During this era (it may, or may not have been during Terry Page's ownership) the front beer garden acquired round, ground-mounted tables and attached seats with funky hard plastic domed covers. It looked more like a municipal playground - but was the place to while away an afternoon, drinking beers in the sun. It was during Terry Page's stewardship of the Hotel that the nightclub Selina's became one of Sydney's goto entertainment venues. It was reputedly named after Terry Page's daughter. For 40 years Selina's hosted some of rock music's biggest names particularly in the 1970s to 1990s, including Midnight Oil, Crowded House, INXS, The Angels, Cold Chisel, Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats, Roxettes, and Nirvana with Kurt Cobain. James Brown was said to have come with an entourage of 50 people and Meatloaf opened his show by driving a motorcycle onto the stage.

At night, the crowds of people coming and going from the venue, parking their cars, getting off the buses, reflected the type of band playing at Selina's. Rockabilly bands, for instance, brought out people in 1950s bowling shirts, denim jeans and retro swing dresses, Midnight Oil fans dressed in black. Flannelette shirts flooded Coogee with Grunge bands, and a folksy band could make Coogee seem like it had been transported back to Haight-Ashbury , circa 1967.

Famous Performers Diane remembers visiting the Hotel in the late 1960s on crutches with a broken leg encased in plaster. She enjoyed a great night watching the Bee Gees when they were still a "local" band and living nearby at Maroubra. After the show they joined the audience for drinks and Diane persuaded them to sign her plaster cast. Once her leg had healed, she kept the plaster cast with the illustrious signatures, until it evenually decayed and she discarded it. "It would have been a great souvenir, if it had survived!" Joan Sekcar remembers going to see Nirvana at Selina's in 1992: "I was working in the retail music business and so had an interest in who were the up-and-coming bands. Younger customers were raving about a band from Seattle called Nirvana, so I thought I should check them out. Selina's was bigger than I expected, a cavernous hall that I reckon could hold 3000 people; but the acoustics were quite good. I found an upstairs mezzanine area that was marked "V.I.P" and managed to talk my way up there. There were a lot of roadies who happily bought me drinks. When Nirvana came on eventually, I thought they were well above the usual pub-music fare you normally expect in Sydney. They were a fusion of pop melodies with a lot of grungey noise. And then early in their set, they broke into Come As You Are and it brought the house down. Whenever I pass "The Bay" I cannot help thinking of the night Kurt and the boys stopped the show." In searching around, trying to confirm what Joan said about Nirvana, I came across many YouTube videos of Nirvana playing at the Coogee Bay Hotel on the 2nd June 1992. Remembering this was in the days before mobile phones when people did not have a recording device in their pocket, it is surprising to see how many times it was recorded. The vision is usually pretty dodgy, but there is no denying what a great sound they made at the "Bay" that night.

You're Banned! A friend explained her experience with the Coogee Bay's quaint custom of "banning" some customers: It must have been in the late 1960s before I was married. It was a big night out with friends at one of the hotel's bars, and so I had dressed in my best gear: a Chanel jacket and mini-skirt, stockings and a hat (I was a very good girl in those days). A barman shouted out across the bar that there was a phone call for me (no mobiles then). I kicked off my high heels and took the call at the bar, telling my friend to "come on down, we are all here", only to be accosted by a bouncer who told me I was banned by Kath (that would be Kath Munro) for walking to the bar in stocking feet! Another friend explained his "banning" experience: I was drinking in the hotel one evening when I was a student. The staff complained that my girlfriend was laughing too loudly, and as a result she was "banned". When I remonstrated with them that I thought this was an arbitrary and harsh decision, I was told that I was "banned" as well. Some years later I returned to the hotel only to be asked: "Aren't you banned?" They seemed to have long memories. I don't know what the process was for someone to be "de-banned". Could you appeal? Was it ever lifted? Later in life as a creative arts professional, I lived in fear that colleagues would ask me to a meeting or drink at the Hotel, only to discover my "banned" status.

Chris Cheung Era
During the 1990s, a new owner, hotelier Chris Cheung, took over ownership and management of the hotel. Gradually, it has changed into being a somewhat more genteel drinking establishment. Renovations and decorative work have moved it away from a booze hall to something more like a club atmosphere. The food is good, if not spectacular, and entertainment has become small ensembles in the beer garden.

The "beer garden" area was upgraded to a landscaped, pleasant outdoor seating area enclosed by decorative walls. It has become a pleasant place to sit, unlike the old days when you could be in danger of being knocked over by a car using the bitumen driveway as you walked to the bar to get another beer.

Some locals decry the hotel's loss of atmosphere and its egalitarian, anything-goes ethos. Others praise its move towards modern manners and something a little more sophisticated.

Selinas nightclub lives!
Poster for Nivarna tribute concert, Sept. 7 2024

Redevelopment
Over the decades a number of proposals have been made to redevelop the Coogee Bay Hotel Site. Local resident opposition to changing the look of the site has been intense in the past. Some proposals have not been proceeded with and some have been rejected by planning and consent authorities.

Coogee Bay Hotel in August 2021, during by COVID19 Lockdown

Like other pubs and entertainment venues in Sydney, the Coogee Bay Hotel was closed periodically, including a long stint from the beginning of July 2021, because of the COVID19 lockdown. Some locals despaired that there would be any likelihood of it reopening. Its closure certainly took some of the atmosphere away from Coogee at the time. It is a big business and a big employer and its shuttered doors was a sad reflection of the difficult times of 2021. (See note 1) But "The Bay" has been back in action since the end of 2021, giving Coogee back something of its old atmosphere.

On July 21, 2021 a Development Application was lodged with Randwick City Council to substantially redevelopment the sites they own directly behind the main hotel buildings:

"Integrated Development for demolition of buildings, works to the Coogee Bay Hotel, construction of a six-storey shops and housing development comprising business premises with supermarket, public laneway, basement parking, 60 residential units, sub-division, landscaping and associated works.

Local Opposition
There have been rumblings of discontent among locals, some claiming it to be an over-development of the site. Others say it will destroy the character of the area. One community leader, and local government election candidate, expressed the view at a recent meeting that the proposal would intensify the use of the site by accommodating a large supermarket and underground parking for 600 cars. Some Facebook Groups with a Coogee focus have produced a lot of "chatter" about the development, mostly not favourable.

People had until September 10, 2021 to lodge a submission to Randwick City Council on the proposed development. After a lengthy assessment process, a version of the original plans were approved in early May 2024 by planning authorities. It small than the original plans, including lacking a supermarket element, but will substantially change the look on the built environment near the corner of Coogee Bay Road and Vicard Street.

Artist's impression of Coogee Bay Hotel Redevelopment from Coogee Bay Road

References