Cobar’s historic town hall and cinema listed for sale
It’s a local icon that has had stints as a town hall, a cinema and a dance studio. Now, 130 years after it first opened its doors to the community of Cobar in outback NSW, 5 Barton Street is being offered for sale by Cobar Shire Council.
Occupying about 1733 square metres across three lots, the property sits in the centre of town, with ample street frontage. The building occupies 858 square metres, and the remainder of the block is currently utilised as a car park.
“It’s a beautiful building that the locals love,” says selling agent Krista Nardi of Nutrien Harcourts. “Anyone who takes it on could really make the most of its reputation and history.”
Built in 1893 and lovingly preserved, the structure comprises two wings, with large open spaces that have been adapted to a variety of uses over the years.
Nardi says she has received several enquiries from buyers interested in establishing an accommodation business on site.
“It has great potential to become a motel; it’s a large block in the centre of town, with plenty of space for parking, and the building is full of character,” she says.
Regional tourism and mining crossroads
Cobar is situated about 700 kilometres west of Sydney and has long served as a hub for the local mining and agricultural industries.
It sits at the crossroads of two main thoroughfares, the Kidman Way and Barrier Highway, and is a popular rest stop for travellers and outback workers.
Known as “the copper city”, Cobar still provides services to nearby gold and base-metal mines.
The town’s reputation as a destination for leisure travellers is also growing. Attractions in town include: the Great Cobar Copper Mine, which features a heritage smelter and immersive exhibits; the Cobar Sound Chapel, a sound-art installation set in a disused water tank; and the Great Cobar Museum, which tells the area’s settler history.
Cobar is also one of the closest settlements to the Mount Grenfell Historic Site, where visitors can view significant Aboriginal rock art created by the Ngiyampaa people. The site offers excellent hiking across open grasslands and up Mount Grenfell itself.
Nardi says Cobar locals are struggling to keep up with the town’s growing visitor numbers, driven both by mining activity and leisure travellers.
“We always seem to have full occupancy at the motels, and rentals in town are really hard to come by,” she says. “That’s why reconfiguring the property as a motel makes sense.”
Nutrien Harcourts is accepting expressions of interest until November 26.
