Two much-loved Victorian pubs forced to close because of coronavirus lockdown
Mounting bills and no clarity on when Melburnians will be allowed to return to their local watering holes has forced two publicans to hand back the keys.
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Two historic pubs in Melbourne’s west have already closed for good - and they won’t be the last.
The Mona Castle in Seddon, which has been operating for over 140 years, and Morning Star in Williamstown, operating for 131 years, are the latest casualties of the havoc that is being caused to the hospitality industry by pandemic restrictions.
Mona Castle publican Gary Clough handed back the keys last week after 15 years.
“It’s probably a combination of people getting kicked out upstairs by the council and the landlord not co-operating at all and wanting full rent - and COVID,” he told the Herald Sun.
Last year a group of residents from a boarding house above the Mona Castle were evicted by the Maribyrnong Council over fire safety concerns.
Mr Clough said his landlord wanted a full six months rent, that came to almost $60,000, which in the current climate was not sustainable.
“It’s just easier to walk away, you don’t know what’s around the corner. We might not be able to open again until March next year, and you have no income. I have mates who have pubs and while they are paying 50 per cent rent - when it starts getting close to 12 months, how do you afford that?”
Mr Clough said people were left in a desperate situations and potentially could end up selling their home to repay accumulated debt.
“And we don’t know how long this pandemic will last without a vaccine. We will have to live with it...it’s a tough game.”
JobKeeper had helped, but it hadn’t been enough with rates and utilities bills left to cover. He made the decision to go soon after Victoria’s second wave began because he was unable to see any relief coming in the near future.
“People aren’t just going to flock back to pubs because all of a sudden they’re open. We will probably have a 20 person limit [to start with].”
Publicans of the Morning Star, Darryn and Tracey Dean, confirmed on Tuesday they would not be reopening.
They had the business just 20 months - six of which they have been forced shut.
“It was financially paralysing,” Mr Dean said.
The couple couldn’t come to an agreement with the landlord over rent, who wanted 70 per cent of the rent.
“We just threw in the towel, the mediator couldn’t get it through to them, and said ‘here is the keys’ we left all the chattels which we owned.”
The announcement from the state government on Sunday was devastating.
“We just decided ..it was supposed to be family business...it just beat us in the end.”
Mrs Dean said it was “a beautiful pub.”.
“Also has one of only two heritage listed horse water troughs that are left in Williamstown out the front.”
She believed the owner was considering turning the site into dozens of apartments if a new owner for the Morning Star wasn’t found.
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