How The Place Urangan Went from Nightclub Icon to Coastal Living Hub

THERE  are few buildings in Hervey Bay that can stir memories quite like The Place in Urangan.

Mention the address — 8 Pier Street — to a long-time local and chances are you’ll hear a story. Shopping at One Stop with Mum. Weddings upstairs. Dancing at Twisties. Friday drinks at Sporties. Over five decades, this corner of Urangan shaped itself into the memory bank of a growing coastal city.

Now, after a major transformation, The Place Urangan has opened a new chapter.

Officially reopened on 30 June 2026 by Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour, the landmark has been reborn as a mixed-use precinct, blending a vibrant commercial hub on the ground floor with nine warehouse-style apartments above. It’s a bold move in a region still dominated by traditional suburban housing.

For local developer and builder Glen Winney, the project was about more than construction.

It was about keeping a piece of Hervey Bay alive.

“We need more alternative accommodation here,” Winney said during the reopening.

“We’ve got plenty of three and four-bedroom houses, but if we’re going to attract a better market — people who want to live here or even holiday here — they need something different.”

That “something different” now sits above a ground-floor collection of businesses that serve both locals and visitors, from health and wellness to convenience retail.

It’s a practical shift; one that reflects how coastal living itself is changing.

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Why The Place Urangan Matters for Hervey Bay’s Future

Standing on the balcony overlooking Urangan, it’s easy to see why this location matters.

The marina, the pier, the esplanade and everyday conveniences all sit within easy reach; exactly the sort of walkable lifestyle many downsizers and part-time coastal residents now seek.

Mayor George Seymour said the redevelopment represented the kind of adaptive thinking Hervey Bay needs.

“This corner has always been really important for Urangan,” he said.

“To see what’s happened here is really special; to see it alive again.”

Seymour, known for his deep interest in Fraser Coast history, reflected on his own memories of the building.

“I have a lot of really fond memories of being up here, playing pool, enjoying music, having drinks,” he said.

Quoting Winston Churchill, Seymour added: “We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.”

It was a fitting line for a building that has worn so many identities.

Before it became One Stop, the site housed neighbourhood essentials like Stevenson’s Grocery and a bakery. back when Urangan was still a much smaller fishing and pier community.

Later came weddings, community events, the nightclub era of Twisties, and the much-loved Sporties Club.

Each chapter reflected the needs of its time. This latest one may be the most practical yet.

A nod to Urangan’s industrial past

The apartments themselves offer a style of living rarely seen previously in Hervey Bay.

Winney describes them as warehouse-inspired, with soaring 4.8-metre ceilings, loft-style spaces, generous storage and double garages; features more commonly associated with inner-city industrial conversions than seaside Queensland.

“It’s very much an industrial design,” he said.

“I actually wanted even more industrial when I started.”

But modern fire and compliance regulations meant some of that raw aesthetic had to be softened.

Still, the industrial feel remains as a deliberate nod to Urangan’s working past.

“Urangan was very much an industrial area, so it’s a nod to that history,” Winney said.

That balance between heritage and reinvention is part of what makes The Place feel grounded.

Community at the centre

Among the businesses operating downstairs is Core Condition Pilates & Massage Studio, owned by Timi Delahunty.

Her business moved into the precinct just over a year ago, and she says the location has brought more than just foot traffic.

“We love the lifestyle,” Delahunty said.

“We get to walk into a really beautiful space every day.”

But it’s the community that stands out most.

“There’s a good sense of community around here. We come in, get macaroons, the supermarket’s there, the pharmacy’s there. It’s turned into something really nice.”

That sense of neighbourhood connection may be one of the strongest assets of The Place. Not just because it offers housing, but because it places daily life within arm’s reach. For a city increasingly discussing density, downsizing and walkability, that matters.

Perhaps that’s the success of this redevelopment. The Place Urangan hasn’t erased its past. It has built on it.

For those who danced there, celebrated there, or simply passed through over the years, the building still holds its stories. Only now, it has room for a few new ones.

As well as Core Condition Pilates & Massage Studio, the ground-floor precinct also includes a mix of everyday essentials and specialist businesses, including SPAR Express Urangan, The Bottle-O, Chemart Chemist, Miss Macaron, Invisible Orthodontics and Eastons Anglers Den, creating a practical neighbourhood hub for locals and visitors alike.

 

 

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