Creekside Hotel to close after more than 150 years as devastated owners reveal reason for shock decision
The owners of an iconic pub have announced they will close their doors after serving locals for more than 150 years.
The Creekside Hotel in Warracknabeal, western Victoria, will cancel its final drinks on New Year’s Eve after a turbulent year left it with huge debts.
“While this is not how we saw the future playing out… we are grateful to those who have supported us along the way,” reads a Facebook post.
The owners of the historic Victorian-style pub said they had entered into a partnership but ‘business took a turn for the worse’.
The partnership collapsed shortly afterwards, leaving the inexperienced owners to invest ‘personal money’ in a last-ditch effort to pay off their debts.
Their attempt failed when the economy slowed and business costs soared, leaving them unable to “catch up.”
They said the pub ‘followed the path of many restaurants (and) hotels’ and now joins the number of venues to close in the past year.
Higher interest rates, alcohol taxes and lower spending will put the hospitality industry in trouble by 2024, putting eight percent of locations at risk of closing.
Owners of the Creekside Hotel (pictured), in western Victoria, have announced it will close its doors after more than 150 years of serving locals
The owners also blamed the closure on the stress they were placed under after their business partnership collapsed.
“The move to front-of-house duties has caused a lot of unwarranted and unwanted stress,” the message reads.
They also noticed “rumors” spreading across the town of just over 2,500 residents.
“Until this post, we did not want to comment as we felt we needed to focus on the business,” the owners said.
Locals were shocked when they heard the news of the pub’s closure. They said the owners had done a “great job” despite their inexperience.
“My husband and I loved dropping in for a meal and not once were we disappointed, stand your ground, you did your best,” said one.
“Sorry to read this, you guys did a great job,” said a second.
A third said the pub was ‘such a beautiful place’.
The pub first opened in 1870 as a Commercial Hotel, but is set to close under the pressure of mounting debts and rising operating costs
The host of the pub’s bi-monthly trivia night said he “had a great time” working with the owners.
“The pub was such a warm and friendly environment… Customers will miss this place so much,” he wrote.
“Friendliest trivia night I’ve ever done, and I’ve done quite a few.”
There’s more to come.