Josh and Julie Niland prepare to launch Catseye on Hamilton Island

The couple behind lauded seafood restaurant Saint Peter have announced Catseye Pool Club, a dining destination that will be part of their new Hamilton Island boutique hotel, The Sundays.

The restaurant is set to open 24 April and will feature poolside dining against the blue-water backdrop of the Whitsundays’ Catseye Bay.

Australian ingredients take precedence on the share menu, as per the Nilands’ signature style. But the offering branches out from solely seafood, and the large dishes are served with the trimmings and designed to be eaten communally.

A sample menu has been released featuring eastern rock lobster served with floury white brad rolls, tarragon mayo, salted butter, salted chilli, and lemon halves; roast Sommerlad heritage chicken with slow cooked zucchini, tomato and grilled bread salad, chicken fat roast potatoes, and garlic aioli; Coppertree Farm grass fed beef rib eye with boiled greens, garlic and soy, fries, chimichurri, black garlic béarnaise, and ginger-shallot relish; and line-caught coral trout in salt pastry with vadouvan roast cauliflower, garlic saltbush and Warrigal greens, pickled sultanas, almonds and curry leaf, and finger lime butter sauce.

The menu will be extended to the pool and sun loungers, says Josh. “It’s about creating an atmosphere where everyone can detach, unplug, and simply enjoy being together.”

Saint Peter Bar Director Sam Cocks has devised a cocktail menu that also draws on locally-sourced Queensland ingredients.

“Together, The Sundays and Catseye Pool Club underscore our commitment to making Hamilton Island ‘Australia’s Tropical Island’, offering world class accommodation, dining and hospitality to all visitors to the heart of the beautiful Great Barrier Reef,” says Hamilton Island CEO Nick Dowling.

The hotel and restaurant join the Nilands’ growing portfolio of venues, alongside Saint Peter Paddington, Saint Peter Bar, Fish Butchery, Fysh at Edition hotel in Singapore, and The Saint Peter Hotel. The Niland’s closed St Leonards restaurant Peterman in December 2024 after almost two years of operation, citing an “extremely challenging” environment for independent hospitality businesses.

Restaurant bookings open 25 March 2025.

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