The Middle Park Hotel is a bayside icon with a long and remarkable history. 

A large Victorian hotel building on the corner of Canterbury Road and Armstrong Street, the hotel was built in 1889. 

The hotel was first licenced by John Mahon in 1889. Like many hotels of its area, the Middle Park Hotel was much more than a pub, serving many important roles in its time. 

John and his wife Elizabeth ran a popular meeting place for the community, where sporting clubs, aspiring local politicians, and community groups such as the local kindergarten committee would regularly meet. 

Mrs Mahon was an energetic and kindly presence in the district. On 4 February 1905 the local newspaper Record reported that after a bowls match “there was a pleasant break at 4.30 in the afternoon” when the female players were invited by Mrs Mahon for afternoon tea “in the drawing room at the Middle Park Hotel”. It added: “Mrs Mahon’s thoughtfulness was greatly appreciated by the members of the Middle Park Club”. 

It was the place for festivity and club dinners, often followed by the entertainment of the time, a “smoke night”, which featured music, singing and other performances. 

On 8 June 1907 the Record reported on a dinner at the pub after a local football match. “Dinner was served punctually at Mahon’s Hotel and a goodly company sat down to the excellent menu prepared by the popular hostess.” 

Afterwards “the tables [were] cleared [and] a smoke night was commenced at eight o’clock.” 

The building was modified in the 1950s: decorative urns were removed, new doors were added, and windows were bricked up. 

In 2001 the hotel was re-branded as the Gunn Island Brew Bar and significantly upgraded with substantial renovations and its own micro-brewery which attracted the Grand Prix crowd. 

Long before the current wave of craft beer and micro- brewery popularity, the Middle Park Hotel refurbishment was before its time with its kegs, kettles, and brewery equipment on show within the pub. 

The hotel was fully restored in 2009, preserving its Victorian charm while blending modern upgrades. Today, the Middle Park Hotel offers a relaxed front bar, a wood-panelled dining room with historic English oak from the MCC Long Room, and a unique blend of old-world elegance and contemporary comfort, continuing its legacy as a vibrant local gathering place.