Why Avoca’s Hotel Victoria shut its doors

A hotel dating back to the 1930s nearly “needs to be condemned”, the pub’s former publican says. See what’s in store for the establishment now.

The Victoria Hotel in Avoca closed on November 6. Photo: Facebook

A historic pub north of Ballarat which closed at the weekend will go up for sale after its landlord and tenant agreed to part ways.

Publican Stuart Diggerson and his late father came to the Hotel Victoria in Avoca about seven years ago.

Stuart said he ran the watering hole with a “locals-first” approach, as his family had done for the 40 years it had been involved in the hospitality business.

But in October he wrote on social media advising his patrons the pub was to close on November 6 – which it did.

“It is with a very heavy heart that we need to inform everyone that it is true that the “VIC HOTEL” is closing its doors,” he said.

“I myself (Stuart) have been attempting to negotiate my lease without success.”

Mr Diggerson said a lack of maintenance at the 1930s establishment meant it now “looked like a derelict joint” to anyone passing by.

“It’s almost at a point where it needs to be condemned,” he said.

“It’s such a shame because it’s a beautiful old place.

“It will take an enormous amount of money really to get it back to square.”

The hotel is owned by a proprietary limited company of which the director is Tony Joyce, who acts as the trustee of a minor.

Mr Joyce said that on top of a lack of patronage at the pub, he had run into difficulties hiring somebody for maintenance work.

“The hotel needs a lot of structural work at a cost which is prohibitive from the Estate point of view bearing in mind my responsibility towards the minor beneficiary,” he said.

“I had hoped to arrange for some of this to be done.

“I have found it impossible to find a builder prepared to do the preliminary work due in large part to the recent flooding in Victoria.”

Mr Diggerson said that after some negotiation with his landlord, he decided to finish up after the Melbourne Cup.

“We tried to get a better deal off the owners and over a period of time we just couldn’t come to an agreement, and then my father passed away,” he said.

“Anyway, a couple of months ago I think it was, they wanted me to produce figures and I sort of lost it a little bit.

“I said I’d do the Melbourne Cup and that’s it … they came back and said, ‘Righto, see you later.’

“Anyway, it’s done now, so I’m out.”

Mr Diggerson will begin work at a hotel in New South Wales – a “sand change”, he called it.

But he said he loved the Hotel Victoria, and would have stayed if things were different.

Mr Joyce said he would arrange for the hotel to be sold.