Calico Marina, formerly Cronulla Marina, has gone through an intensive refurbishment over the last two years and the latest business to get involved is The Grounds with their new eatery Pippis opening at the marina this week. The Calico Marina rebrand has been headed by Highland CEO David Highland, absorbing the marina into the expansive Highland network and allowing for a complete overhaul of services and amenities, offering a world-class marina experience in a unique position in the Sutherland Shire. With easy access to the Bundeena Ferry and Cronulla Station and Cronulla Beach only a 5-minute walk from the marina, it was the perfect time to revitalise the important Cronulla landmark that had failed to fully recover from the 2002 fire that decimated most of the established amenities. Ready to show this to the world, Calico Marina is hosting an open day on the 23rd of November inviting media, calico members, boat owners and the public to experience the marina in all it’s exciting new splendour.
Bringing a fresh approach to the Cronulla Marina is exactly what Highland CEO David Highland and the team were after when they set out on the journey of marina ownership. “I have always been heavily interested in the marine space, having watched what makes a marina successful throughout Europe and the US and those practices are something I definitely wanted to introduce here in Cronulla,” he explains.
“I believe that in Australia, we have lagged behind significantly with the product offerings for this unique asset class and that is something we are elevating at Calico. Our boat owners, whether they have a permanent berth or something more flexible, have access to turnkey boating solutions that includes Platinum Marine who offer yacht maintenance plans including skippering, marina staff who will fuel up your vessel and assist in moving you in and out of your pen and now Pippis who can provide catering on board via order through an app. These are attributes that I haven’t seen anywhere else in Sydney and something we are really proud to offer here.”
As mentioned, that offering has only proven stronger with the introduction of The Grounds to the marina. Holding a stellar reputation throughout Sydney with other establishments including The Grounds of Alexandria, BarLume, The Grounds of the City and newly opened The Grounds Coffee Factory, Pippis opening this week is sure to entice a whole new breadth of clientele to the area.
“Adam Choker and the team at The Grounds have created a fantastic brand that is known throughout Sydney for fantastic activations that bring people from all walks of life to their eateries. That he wanted to include us here in Cronulla into his network of culinary experiences, says a lot about our vision and the emergence of Calico as THE place to be in The Shire,” continues Mr Highland.
Pippis is now open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner with menus that have been carefully curated by the team to match the European beach vibe that encapsulates the newly refurbished marina. Highlighting a Mediterranean influence with a heavy abundance of high-quality seafood on offer for patrons, Pippis is now taking bookings.
Having built a trusted property brand that has 4000 properties under management as well as a flourishing financial services branch in Highland Financial Services, handling insurance and boat finance, the introduction of Calico Marina to the Highland fold has been a natural progression. Using that experience from the last 17 years in the property industry, Highland management and marina staff are able to capitalise on this to offer a new service that is second-to-none to Calico members.
“We want Calico to be a destination location for those looking for an escape in the Sutherland Shire and beyond,” said Mr Highland. “By offering something that is unique to the industry, we are promoting a marine haven not only for boat owners but for those looking for a Mediterranean-inspired break right here in Sydney.”
As a gateway to the pristine waters of the Port Hacking, Calcio is not only a destination location but now hosts the brand-new branch of Highland – Highland Marine: an expert boat brokerage with reach up and down the East Coast of Australia. Leveraging the existing network of Highland clients and it’s reach from South-East Queensland, Greater Sydney and down south to the Southern Highlands, Highland Marine are a specialist brokerage already with a dozen boats listed for sale and housed at Calico Marina.
The sky is the limit for Calico Marina and until the vision of Highland and the rest of the team is achieved, there will be much more to come for the site at 2 Tonkin Street, Cronulla. The Calico Marina Open Day is occurring on the 23rd of November with doors open from 10am – 3pm.
