Nowra's Australian Hotel is going back to the future.

The landmark hotel on the corner of Kinghorne and North Streets has changed hands for a bit over $17 million, with new owner Andrew Denmeade planning major renovations and restoring the establishment back to its previous name - the Empire Hotel.

A well-known Illawarra hotelier who had previously owned and renovated several hotels including the award-winning Central Hotel in Shellharbour, the Figtree Hotel, Unanderra Hotel and more recently the Waterfront Tavern, Mr Denmeade said he expected the renovation to take about 18 months to complete and cost in the vicinity of $6 million.

The renovation plans and approvals had already been obtained by Michael and Kylee Dennis, who had owned the hotel since 2008.

Mr Denmeade said the fact the

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