The Sphinx Hotel on the market in Geelong

Geelong local Jack Gatto performed in the Elvis Festival Tour at The Sphinx Hotel in North Geelong in 2023. Picture: Brad Fleet

The family that built a 14m-high replica sphinx on the roof of their Geelong pub to attract more punters is selling the venue after more than 50 years ownership.

The Ramia family is looking to leave the Sphinx Hotel after clocking up 53 years at the Thompson Rd, North Geelong venue.

The hotel is available as either a new long-term lease or a freehold going concern in an expressions of interest campaign managed by CBRE Hotels’ senior director Scott Callow.

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Owner George Ramia, who started working at the former Golf View Hotel when he was 14, said the venue had changed over decades from a home for live music to a disco to eventually become the iconic entertainment complex with gaming facilities, a bistro and recently renovated sports bar.

But the pub’s true claim to fame came in the 1990s when the Ramias remodelled the pub with a 14m-high sphinx on the roof and an Egyptian-style motif complete with statues, hieroglyphics and even a mock gold pharaoh’s tomb.

George Ramia started at the family’s North Geelong hotel that became The Sphinx as a 14-year-old. Picture: Mark Wilson

“We’ve got to the stage where we all want to do our own thing and it’s quite a large family,” Mr Ramia said.

“We’re up to nearly 53 years here and I think we’re getting a bit tired.

“I started work here when I was about 14. I recall those days I wasn’t allowed in the pub but I used to do all the beer lines.

“Johnny O’Keeffe used to play a lot and he always asked me to play pool, and I was a pretty good player because it’s all I was allowed to do.”

The pub continues to host live bands and events, including the Geelong Elvis Festival, but hosted some of Australia’s most renowned acts.

“Little River Band, when they were Mississippi they did their last gig here on a Saturday night and on the Tuesday night, which was when we used to throw a uni night and they did the first gig as Little River Band,” Mr Ramia said.

The Sphinx Hotel in North Geelong is on the market.

“In those old days we had bands like Cold Chisel and Angels – we were getting Angels as a back-up band for $200 a night.

“I guess the biggest change was it was getting hard, economically, for a pub to run bands in those days, so we were probably the first venue arguably in Victoria to become a disco.”

Mr Ramia said the Geelong Golf Club, then mired in financial difficulties, was closed when the pub’s owners went looking for an attraction to draw new patrons to the venue

“I did a survey in Geelong and it showed 5 million people drove through this town without stopping. We thought if we do a landmark where one per cent could stop here that would probably help our business and it worked.

“We got the approval to build the Sphinx and it’s become quite an attraction.”

The Sphinx Hotel in North Geelong is on the market.

The Sphinx Hotel is positioned on a 15,000sq m freehold land parcel and has 16 well-appointed accommodation rooms of various configurations, with approvals in place to develop a further 24 rooms.

The hotel also comprises a suite of 67 electronic gambling machines, multiple bar areas and function rooms, an outdoor beer garden, a TAB and a recently renovated sports bar.

The sale includes a dual-lane Thirsty Camel branded drive-through bottle shop and a licence capacity for 1010 patrons.

Mr Callow said the incoming operator’s tenure in the asset will be secured with a new long-term 20-year lease with two 20-year options.

The rental will be set at market, ensuring the rental amount is in line with the asset’s financial performance.

“Geelong’s Sphinx Hotel presents a compelling investment opportunity in the thriving gaming and entertainment industry,” Mr Callow said.

“We anticipate strong interest from a range of investment segments seeking to gain a significant foothold in Victoria’s tightly held gaming market.”