Pioneer Valley pub up for sale, friendly ghosts included
FOR SALE: Publicans searching for new owners to inject fresh life into historic hotel.
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IT HAS survived a flood, the mining downturn and the closure of its local mill.
Now the owners of a Pioneer Valley pub are hoping new owners will inject fresh life into the place.
Publicans Karen and Bob Collyer are selling the lease of the historic Criterion Hotel in Finch Hatton after almost 10 years running it.
The pub is well known for having the “best food in the Valley” as well as its exclusive beer, a 4 per cent ale known as the Criterion Gorge Water.
Many publicans have walked through the doors of the pub, which first opened in 1908.
Back then, it was one of four drinking holes in the Finch Hatton township.
These days, the Criterion Hotel is the last one standing.
But its veranda did wash away in the 1958 Mackay flood, which killed four people and displaced hundreds more.
The pub, like the rest of the town, also took a hit when the Cattle Creek Sugar Mill closed in 1990.
“It’s probably not as busy as it was back in the day when the Cattle Creek Mill was open,” Mrs Collyer said.
Today, the hotel boasts an indoor and outdoor dining area, “country-style” accommodation on the second level, a nearby kids playground and not to mention a few friendly ghosts.
Given the age of the building, Mrs Collyer said paranormal occurrences were to be expected.
“We’ve had some psychic ladies stay here and one of them told me that there are very friendly ghosts that fly in and out all night,” she said.
“I have seen one here – a guy with a hat on.”
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Mrs Collyer believes one of the ghosts has even taken up residence in room eight.
“Room eight upstairs definitely has a ghost,” she said.
“We had some locals and children stay and one of them wouldn’t go around the corner into room eight – they just had a funny feeling.”
While the Collyers will miss the character of the place, they believe it is the right time to sell.
“We’re in retirement age and need to move on to something a bit quieter,” Mrs Collyer said.
“I’m open to offers from anybody. I think it would be very good for younger people who can do a night life here.
“There’s a lot of young people that live in town, between your 18s and 25s.”
The Collyer’s have plans to restart their rainforest bed and breakfast business at Finch Hatton Gorge once a sale is finalised.
For more information about the Criterion Hotel, phone 4958 3252.
This story was thanks to the My Town series – a Daily Mercury and Mackay Regional Council initiative.
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