Affectionately known as the 'Willy Wally', the hotel lays claim to having over the years, hosted various Hollywood Illuminati such as Russell Crowe, Naomi Watts and Burt Reynolds. It is also reportedly the favoured watering hole of Mel Gibson when he is in Sydney - Gibson played the role of medieval Scottish patriot William Wallace in Hollywood blockbuster Braveheart.

The hotel has been operated under management on behalf of the Cowan family who are exiting the industry after owning the hotel for 20 years.

HTL Property's Sam Handy and Blake Edwards have been exclusively appointed to steer the campaign which follows some of HTL's recent food and beverage pub transactions; including the Garry Owen, Bellevue & Four in Hand hotels.

Click here to view this listing on The Hotel Page with further photography.

The attractive two-storey hotel occupies an elevated approximate 329sqm landholding with CBD, Harbour Bridge and water views from the first floor. Like Balmain, the suburb of Birchgrove has a burgeoning cosmopolitan influence with the original working-class population having been gradually supplanted by a growing affluent population.

HTL Property's Director Sam Handy said, "The William Wallace represents an entry-level trading opportunity within the tightly-held Sydney Metropolitan freehold market".

See also: Sydney pub The Duke of Gloucester 'Dog' Hotel for sale - HTL Property

“There is compelling upside by way of repositioning the food and beverage proposition in concert with the injection of some fresh energy, focus and experience”, he added.

The sale comes at a time when two nearby hotels, the Exchange and Town Hall Hotels, were converted for alternative use. With this in mind, the William Wallace Hotel offers incoming purchasers the flexibility of two D.A. approvals.

The current D.A. is to extend the existing ground floor trading footprint to the Eastern boundary and create an entire first floor pub activation that would capitalise upon the hotel’s existing CBD and Harbour Bridge views. There is also a recently approved D.A. for the development of two residential townhouses, an oversized 3- bedroom apartment and underground whisky bar which also makes provision for the front bar of the hotel to remain post refurbishment. The agents advise that there exists recent sales evidence of nearby luxury town houses transacting for $3 million apiece.

HTL Property Director Blake Edwards added, “In addition to having compelling operational upside (and the flexibility of two approved D.A.'s), this investment is underpinned by strong intrinsic value in the underlying real estate and gaming machine entitlements”.

See also: Manly beachfront pub 'Hotel Steyne' for sale

In terms of the market health and longevity, HTL Property have been consistent in the view that demand continues to outstrip supply with key market indicators remaining positive and robust.

The campaign is tipped to attract a mixture of local publican interest; owner-operators, restaurateurs and property developers; and having recently been involved in the successful sale of the Garry Owen and Town Hall hotels, the agents are well placed to comment upon the market depth for signature hotels such as the William Wallace Hotel.

Click here to view this listing on The Hotel Page with further photography.

Click here to view HTL Property and their listings on The Hotel Page.

The William Wallace Hotel is being offered via an Expression of Interest campaign closing at 4:00pm on Thursday 18th April (if not sold prior).

See sold pubs in NSW:

Newcastle pubs the Belmont Hotel and Salamander Tavern sold for $20m by HTL Property

Salisbury Hotel Sold by Andrew Jolliffe and Dan Dragicevich HTL Property

The Bells Hotel Sydney Woolloomooloo sold to Arthur Laundy prior to Auction this week

See additional pub commentary:

Tighter yields and limited stock lead pub buyers to broaden their horizons - CBRE Hotels

"Continued transactional appetite expected for the NSW pub market in 2019" - John Musca, JLL Hotels