Godby Hotel and Nightbird Transform South Yarra’s Old Train Station

Working with heritage-listed buildings is tricky, and not just because of red tape. There’s also a balancing act between retaining old features and refreshing dated elements. Showcasing a building’s old soul takes some nuance, but at the latest spot from Julien Moussi and the Only Hospitality (also known as Venues By Only, behind The Beehive Hotel, Hotel Collingwood, My Other Brother) the team has done just that. 

Moussi and co have opened a new pub, Godby Hotel, and a Japanese-inspired listening bar, Nightbird, in South Yarra’s old train station (next door to the current station). “We spent hundreds of hours researching old photos of the building from the State Library and worked really closely with our architects to make sure every decision accentuated the older features, not covered them up,” Moussi says. “We wanted to make it feel like you’d stepped back in time when you walk down the entrance stairs.” 

The fit-out, the work of Underwood, leans into the building’s old-world feel. Grand ballroom stairs set the tone when you enter, leading into a main dining area decked out with velvet booths and wood panels. The main bar is surrounded with Victorian-style mosaic tiles, while modern lighting accentuates the ceiling’s art-deco alcoves. 

Godby sports a cold bar with sashimi, ceviche and oysters as well as a grill with three choices of steak. There’s also a menu of pub classics including chicken parmigiana and a double-patty smash burger. And an extensive drinks menu covers all bases, with plenty of local and international beers, wines and spirits, plus a few signature cocktails including the standout Madame Lin with lychee soju, jasmine, saké and soda water.

Nightbird, meanwhile, is behind “secret pivoting doors that look like mirrors from the outside.” The hidden cocktail den was inspired by one of Moussi’s favourite New York 1920s speakeasy-inspired bars, Bathtub Gin. “We borrowed some concepts [from Bathtub Gin] for Nightbird with the lowered ceiling and indirect lighting,” he says. “It’s a deliberate contrast to the rest of the venue – we’ve got the dark walls and the low, rounded ceiling in there with the acoustic treatment spray, so it almost feels like you’re partying in this kind of fuzzy train carriage.” 

The 60-person listening bar has a DJ booth, designed to prevent low-frequency transfer into the turntables, as well as an Allen & Heath Xone:96 mixer with Martin Audio CDD15 loudspeakers and dual SX215 subwoofers. 

“I always love pubs where you can have a long lunch or relax over a few beers in the afternoon then party later into the night,” Moussi says. “We wanted to create a space where you can kick-on and hear some great local DJs in a room that sounds incredible spinning both vinyl and more modern stuff – it’s one of those places you just have to experience to understand how awesome it sounds.”

Both venues opened at the end of December, but Moussi already has more ambitious plans for the building. “It’s such an iconic part of South Yarra – all the locals know it,” he says. “I’d like to open up a turnstile straight to the [new station] platform so you can have a drink before the footy and step straight onto the train from the bar. I’ve got a couple of parking spots I might be able to trade with Metro Trains to help make it happen.”

Godby Hotel and Nightbird
163 Toorak Road, South Yarra(03) 9967 1192

Hours:
Daily midday–1am

godbyhotel.com.au
@godby.hotel
@nightbird.hifi