Victoria Hotel in Port Fairy closes doors, blaming impact of ‘Covid restrictions’

It should be packed with people enjoying a feed and a few cold ones but instead a popular pub has gone into liquidation. Read why.

Questions remain about the future of a Port Fairy pub as it has emerged it recently went into liquidation.

The Victoria Hotel on Bank St hasn’t poured a pot of beer for more than a month and its doors remain locked.

The Warrnambool News put in a call to the hotel on December 17 last year but it went unanswered.

It is believed hotel employees may have been notified that their employment was being terminated in early December, prior to the liquidation process.

Former building tenant, Glenn Crisp, said the landlord was in possession of the building and would determine its future.

Mr Crisp, who ran the pub, understood the building might be put up for sale.

Nearby trading businesses were unsure to as why the Victoria Hotel shut down during the busy Christmas period. Picture: Jack Colantuono

“I am dealing with the landlord with respect to the stock, plant and equipment on the premises,” Mr Crisp said.

The company went into liquidation on December 31 and Mr Crisp said the business would not be restarting nor employing any staff in future.

“If the landlords sell the property and a new owner/operator commences operating the premises as a hotel again, there may be future employment opportunities with that party, but the future is unknown at this stage,” he said.

Mr Crisp said the reasons for the liquidation were still being investigated, however management advised that Covid restrictions had an “adverse impact upon the business”.

“After the landlord took possession of the premises the Director decided to liquidate the company,” he said.

Neighbouring businesses were unable to shed any light on the reason behind the closure earlier in the month.

A Port Fairy woman, who asked not to be named, said she saw no one “going in or out of the building for around a week”.

A worker from the Passage, a surf store opposite the Victoria Hotel, said at the time they didn’t have a knowledge surrounding the closure.

A Port Fairy Day Spa employee also said at the time they heard nothing about the closure.

A Blarney Books and Art employee said the only signs up at the pub were the already-existing advertisements for the venue in December last year.