Historic Hobart pub Shipwright’s Arms up for sale

It’s a rare real estate find but Battery Point’s iconic Shipwright’s Arms Hotel is on the market, lock, stock and barrel.

The long-term lease and the freehold of the 1846-built pub, known in yachting circles as Shippies, are on the market separately.

Licensee Tony Kennedy is selling the leasehold after just 18 months to concentrate on his hospitality and tourism training school Industry Link, which has taken off over the past two years.

Despite his love of Shippies, Kennedy says he misjudged just how busy Hobart’s hospitality sector would become.

“When I bought Shippies (leasehold) I thought I’d be able to run the pub ‘on the side’ but it is a business that really needs someone’s full attention,” he says.

Although he has owned half-a-dozen pubs over the years, Shippies is a favourite.

Shipwright’s Arms licensee Tony Kennedy. Picture: Roger Lovell.

He describes it as one of the “great pubs in all of Australia”.

“Shippies is an icon, an institution with a rich 170-year history,” he says.

“It has maintained its character throughout the years.

“Its licensees have always stuck to their guns and stayed true to the pub’s maritime heritage.

“One of the busiest days we have had in the past year was when the Wooden Boat Festival was on, an extraordinary number of tourists flock to this pub.”

Knight Frank commercial sales agent Ian Reed describes Shippies as “a landmark, no doubt”.

Also on the market is a historic pub in Queenstown and The Crescent Hotel in North Hobart.

This article from The Mercury was originally published as “Historic Shipwrights Arms pub in Battery Point up for sale“.