How tired urban hubs are being given new life across Australia

News.com.au

22-04-2025

Much like the kitsch gift shop at the exit of a theme park, Manly's Ferry Terminal sees millions of passengers walk past multiple drinking and dining options before crossing the Sydney suburb's famous Esplanade.
The power of a captive audience, about six million commuters per year, propelled Artemus Group into a $120 million purchase and redevelopment of the famous wharf, from replacing the Manly Wharf Bar to Felons Brewing Co and converting the former Aldi supermarket into a microbrewery to supporting fellow tenants Hugo's, Betty's Burgers, Chat Thai, Max Brenner, Sake Restaurant and El Camino Cantina. Artemus bought Hugo's Manly but the restaurant will retain its management.
'We love to specialise in revitalising iconic waterfront precincts and transforming them into thriving community and cultural hubs,' Artemus CEO Luke Fraser said.
'Sydney's iconic Manly Wharf is our latest endeavour with unbound potential.
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'We're bringing that same passion to Manly Wharf as we look to create a safer, more lively and family-friendly precinct for the whole community to enjoy.
'We imagine Manly Wharf will continue to be a much celebrated and loved part of Sydney.'
The Manly Wharf is just one of several examples of how underused urban spaces are being transformed into bustling hospitality hubs, such as the Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane, Sydney's Cannery and Rising Sun Workshop.
The 'same passion' Fraser is referring to is the work Artemus did at the heritage-listed Howard Smith Wharves in Brisbane's CBD on the Brisbane River. The precinct had largely been vacant since the 60s but Artemus Group's redeveloped site was opened in late 2018 as a dining and entertainment precinct, including Felons Brewery, drawing over 6 million visitors a year.
'In Brisbane, we're so proud to be the custodians of Howard Smith Wharves,' Fraser added.
'We wholeheartedly believe the river is one of Brisbane's superpowers and from the very beginning we had a vision of creating a space that celebrates the heritage of the wharves but also realises its beauty and potential for our local community to enjoy.'
The $120 million Manly redevelopment is not just designed for tourists – the gift shoppers – its blend of convenience and dining experience caters to a market where the median rental price is $1800 per week.
There are more than 100 office spaces for rent in Manly but that represents just 1.5 per cent of available 'stock' while Sydney's CBD and Greater is more than 14 per cent.
In the Sydney city-fringe suburb of Rosebery, the former Rosella soup factory has been resurrected as a lifestyle precinct.
VIVE Cooking School's founder and director, Jean-Luc Tan, is one of the original tenants.
'When we launched VIVE, the site was still a raw industrial shell,' he said.
'We saw that as an advantage: we came early enough in the development that the guys behind The Cannery were really supportive and were really behind our vision of their glass box kitchen.'
Rosebery has shifted from a light industrial pocket to a mixed use lifestyle precinct. New apartments and the Green Square town centre have broadened the catchment and boosted evening trade. Surrounding streets now host boutique apartments and co working spaces, offices, bringing an all day audience rather than purely weekend traffic.
The Rising Sun Workshop, in the Sydney suburb of Newtown, is a former hardware store-turned motorcycle workshop interwoven with a restaurant/bar that serves coffee and ramen.
'You can do more than just be a vendor of food and beverages,' co-owner Nick Smith said.
'Increasingly with the pressure on the hospitality industry you do need to think outside the square. If you can give your space a further reason for being, then you then you can be a neighbourhood Nexxus.
'You become a landmark because you're integral into the you're in you're in the weave of the neighbourhood. You're not just another sign on the door.'
Finding the right property with the proper zones and space requirement took quite a bit of time, but while they were doing it, Smith had a ramen pop-up.
'When we moved in, we had a completely blank canvas there so I could cook whatever I wanted,' he said.
'Ramen was emerging at the time — so that was sort of on the foodie radar there was no Ramen in Newtown. It was a dish that I could build a very simple kitchen because when we did the pop-up, we basically did it with camping equipment.'
Smith notes how the neighbourhood has changed in the time that they've been there.
'I've noticed a moved from daytime to night-time economy. There were more coffee offerings in Newtown eight years ago. Now, I'm seeing more corporate offices and real estate agencies opening so you're getting different types of diners. More professionals getting work lunches and having business meetings in the restaurant – before it was mainly youths,' he said.
'One of my businesses partners is looking to revitalise and re-establish the Newtown Chamber of commerce getting local businesses together.
'One business doesn't have a lot of lobby power, but together, as a collective voice, and as a precinct we can get local government's attention and keep Newtown moving forward.'