![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/260709_TheLoyalBellingen_Capture_0196_LR.jpg\")
Dishes at Loyal Bellingen Golf Club. Image: Leif Prenzlau<\/p>\nThe Loyal Bellingen Golf Club on the NSW Mid North Coast has officially reopened under the ownership of the Mosey On Inn Group following an extensive refurbishment.<\/p>\n
It is the first golf club acquisition for the hospitality group, whose portfolio also includes the Eltham Hotel, Ciao Mate, You Beauty, and Attaboy Pizza. The group acquired the venue in November 2025 following the club entering administration.<\/p>\n
Matt Rabbidge, co-owner of Mosey On Inn Group, told Club Management the acquisition presented an opportunity to restore the iconic clubhouse, invest in the golf course, and create a more community-focused venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a kind of classic case, and an unfortunate case, of a small-town club going into administration,\u201d Rabbidge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was independently run at the time, and so we picked it up out of administration and purchased the place.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs operators of the Eltham Hotel and a couple of restaurants already, we had the background in hospitality, which might have been the missing link they\u2019d had in the past. But at the same time, we\u2019re all passionate golfers, and we just felt like this was a beautiful opportunity to do a venue that was an iconic clubhouse and really restore and work hard on the golf course side of things.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not for everyone, but we\u2019ve made the decision to remove the machines and gaming licences, and we\u2019ve gone with a family-friendly, music-oriented golf course. So far, it\u2019s ticking the boxes for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Key refurbishment details<\/p>\n
The refurbishment began in November and was only recently completed, with the club now trading six days a week following the opening of its new kitchen. Memberships have also been rolling out since July.<\/p>\n
Rabbidge said the group faced significant work to restore both the course and clubhouse when it took over the venue, with the greens requiring extensive repairs.<\/p>\n
One of the most distinctive changes to the clubhouse has been the installation of a new tartan carpet, sourced from Brintons in the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a long wait for us to get hold of it,\u201d Rabbidge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe brought a classic tartan carpet from UK producers. It was a big mileage to get it here \u2013 made in Poland, distributed through the UK, and brought out here. But it\u2019s an amazing tartan that links back to golf and its heritage as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rabbidge said the refurbishment focused on opening up the clubhouse and creating a more welcoming space for members, visitors, and the wider community.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful big space, with lots of floor-to-ceiling glass on the northern aspect. You come in and sit in the main bistro and club area, and you\u2019re looking straight over the golf course with uninterrupted views,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
A destination dining offer<\/p>\n
Joining the team as head chef is Stephen Peak, who spent seven years as head chef at award-winning Tasmanian restaurant Agrarian Kitchen.<\/p>\n
Rabbidge said bringing Peak into the group was a significant step as the business continues to develop its food offering.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a big win for us to get him into the group,\u201d Rabbidge said of Peak\u2019s appointment.<\/p>\n
\u201cLong term for us, he\u2019s come in as the group development chef, and we\u2019ve said that instead of executive chef because we felt like the language around an exec chef is often just kind of walking in, shaking hands, high fiving, and ticking a few boxes, whereas development I think is a lot more about building culture and also the quality of food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peak\u2019s first challenge was establishing a kitchen and menu at Loyal Bellingen Golf Club, testing and refining dishes with members and guests.<\/p>\n
Dishes at Loyal Bellingen Golf Club. Image: Leif Prenzlau<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last couple of months he\u2019s been down there, road testing with our punters. We feel like we\u2019ve hit a really good mark in that middle ground where we really do need a classic club menu, but we\u2019ve got the ability to exceed expectations when it comes to this style of food, the provenance and the high-quality growers that we\u2019re working with,\u201d Rabbidge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome standouts on the menu at the moment are a steak sandwich that\u2019s been super popular. We had it as an original item at the Eltham Hotel and have done a reinvented version of it down there. It definitely keeps all the older golfers happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve also got a fish pie, lamb shank and mash \u2013 we are keeping it really classic. But at the same time, there\u2019s house-made cheeses and seasonal greens that we\u2019re working with local growers on. Whatever they\u2019ve got on hand each week, we\u2019ll respond to that and change our specials board to reflect it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Golf and music round out the appeal<\/p>\n
The group has also been working with Australian PGA professional Andrew Campbell, who has been providing coaching as well as consulting on elements of the course architecture. Rabbidge said the group was looking at ways to enhance the course over time, drawing on the skills of its broader team.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver time, we want to improve pathways throughout the course and continue to invest in it. It\u2019s a small track, but we\u2019re putting the time and effort into stepping it up and making it a quality destination that people from a wider area would want to visit.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not just looking at the Grafton to Port Macquarie catchment. We want to create a destination for people travelling between Sydney and Byron or Brisbane, a place where they can stop through and enjoy the region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rabbidge said business partner Luke Sullivan had been leading much of the project on the ground, with the group taking a considered approach to entering Bellingen.<\/p>\n
Live music will also play a central role in the club\u2019s future, with the Mosey On Inn Group aiming to build on the success of the Eltham Hotel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important because we love it. For one, it\u2019s what we do and do well at the Eltham, and we\u2019ve been lucky to forge a real following with the pub, even though it\u2019s in the middle of nowhere,\u201d Rabbidge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been lucky enough to attract a lot of nationally recognised and internationally recognised acts as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the club hosted several performances earlier this year, Rabbidge said its live music calendar would expand significantly over the coming months.<\/p>\n
Keep an eye out for more an in-depth look into the re-opening of Loyal Bellingen Golf Club in the Spring issue of Club Management, coming soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Loyal Bellingen Golf Club on the NSW Mid North Coast has officially reopened under the ownership of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":842724,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,952,755,414804,414805,85],"class_list":["post-842723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-featured","tag-golf","tag-loyal-bellingen-golf-club","tag-mosey-on-inn-group","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/842724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}