Bulli's former Denmark Hotel site has a guide in low to mid $1m

Therefore, the heritage-listed building with well over a century of history is now for sale, and due to be auctioned on June 24.

The owner, Sydney-based Sean Hannon said it was just the "right time" to sell.

Read more: The Famous Robertson Pie Shop is for sale for the first time since 1979

"It's been 12 years," he said. "Mum [Kathleen] loved buildings too, and she passed just over a year ago now.

"It's DA approved, and I just thought, 'I'm nearly 60', and I didn't know if I had the patience. I'd just run out of steam."

Selling agent, Peter Seeto from Cabmon Property said while helping his friend Mr Hannon clean up the property on Mother's Day, "after kids had smashed the last remaining original pane of glass, he realised the desire to complete the project had evaporated".

Mr Hannon bought the property for $427,000 in 2011, and said he has spent in excess of $100,000 in plans and proposals to be able to bring it back to life.

Mr Hannon had previously lodged plans to turn the building, located at located at 202 Princes Highway, Bulli into three apartments, with one of the first floor and two on the ground floor.

A conditional approved was issued by the Wollongong Local Planning Panel in December for the "adaptive re-use of listed former Denmark Hotel as three residential apartments with associated parking and site works including vehicular access via the Miner's Cottage site".

Mr Seeto said the approval requires an easement over the council's property next door to allow cars to come in off the arterial road.

The 920 square metre property is zoned R2 Low Density Residential.

Mr Hannon said it had been difficult and frustrating to keep vandals away from the property.

"It's just at that stage where it's, 'do I put another three years of my life into it?'" he said.

"I love the building and want someone to do it, I just don't know if I have the stamina to do it. Plus interest rates haven't helped.

"I'm sure someone will run with it - a lot of the hard work has been done."

Mr Seeto said the property went on the market this week, with a guide in the low to mid $1 million range.

According to the NSW State Heritage Inventory, the site has local significance.

"The former Denmark Hotel is of significance for the Wollongong area for historical and aesthetic reasons, and as a locally rare and representative example of Victorian period hotels in the area," the listing says.

Local historian Mick Roberts said the Denmark Hotel was established in 1877 as a single-storey timber inn by Danish migrant Jens Peter Oluf Orvad.

"He had previously bought the property in 1876 and leased the building as a bakery before gaining a hotel license the following year," Mr Roberts said.

"The inn was used as a coach stop up until the arrival of the railway in 1887. Orvad had the two-storey brick frontage added to the Denmark Hotel in 1886."

According to the heritage listing, both Orvald and his hotel were instrumental to development of Bulli until the opening of the competing Bulli Family Hotel in 1889.

"Orvald died in 1891 and his family sold Denmark Hotel in 1892," the listing says. "The hotel gradually lost its importance and was de-licensed in 1907.

"It went through a series of adaptive reuses (including as flats, boarding house and residence) until it fell into disrepair circa 1987."

A previous owner of the heritage building had sought to turn it into a licensed restaurant with accommodation and a retail outlet, with a development application being approved by the council in 2003, but nothing eventuated.

Mr Hannon had tried to begin some restoration works such as with plumbing and "strengthen and retain the structure" of the second-level flooring, though admitted the council had issued a stop work order around 2013, asking for a full DA.

In 2019, a development application for structural stabilisation works including new brick boundary walls and concrete footings was rejected.

Mr Hannon has also wanted to create five apartments, but was "knocked back" and revised that to three.

Mr Seeto said the property has already attracted a large amount of interest after he placed the 'for sale' boards on the property at 6am on Tuesday.

He said there were many options for the buyer, including following through with the approved DA.

"Someone could rebuild it to house short stay accommodation or another boarding house, back to a boarding house.

"A boutique hotel would be fantastic in that location, being so close to the beach and the race track behind it. Another alternative would be to turn it into a beautiful family home."

Mr Roberts said it had been frustrating watching the current owners battle with red tape.

"Hopefully with redevelopment approvals now in place, we will see a new beginning for the Denmark, and it will be restored," he said.

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