‘Not how we saw the future going’: Historic Aussie pub Creekside Hotel in Victoria to close after 150 years of trading

A historic Aussie pub which has been trading for 150 years is shutting its doors – with the owners revealing the reason behind their heartbreaking decision.

The owners of a historic pub in Victoria, which has been serving patrons for more than 150 years, has announced it is closing its doors following a turbulent year.

The Creekside Hotel in Warracknabeal, in western Victoria, announced this year’s New Year’s Eve will be the pub’s last after more than a century of trading.

In a statement on the company’s Facebook page, the owners of the Creekside Hotel said a combination of a dissolving business partnership and weakening economics meant the pub would stop trading.

The doors will officially shut on January 1, 2025.

The owners of a historic pub in Victoria which has been serving patrons for more than 150 years has announced it is closing its doors following a turbulent year. Picture: Facebook

“When we went into this business it was in a 50/50 partnership with other people as they had experience in the hotel industry,” the hotel’s statement reads.

“We were only supposed to be in the background as business support.”

The owners said things “declined” and they were “way behind” in sales, accumulating a “large amount of unpaid debt” – including ones they were not aware of until after the partnership ended.

According to the Facebook post, when the partnership dissolved the owners tried to trade their way out of debt and invested their own money, but were unable to do so.

“The economy slowed, people stopped spending, things went up, and we could not catch up. Now we are going the way of many restaurants/hotels,” the statement continues.

“While this is not how we saw the future going, we have enjoyed this short time owning The Creekside and we are thankful to those who supported us along the way.”

Locals were shocked to hear the news of the pub’s closure, saying the owners had done a “great job” even with their inexperience.

The pub owners said the venue would officially close its doors on January 1, 2025. Picture: Facebook

“My husband and I loved coming over for a meal not once were we disappointed, stand tall, you gave it your best shot,’ one said.

A second patron reminisced of the “wonderful” time she had running trivia night at the venue.

Her post continued: “The pub was such a warm and friendly environment. Friendliest trivia night I’ve ever done and I’ve done quite a few. The patrons will miss this place so much. Wishing you well in your future endeavours.”

The Creekside hotel was among a number of growing hospitality and tourism businesses that have collapsed since the pandemic.

The latest CreditorWatch business risk index found that Aussie businesses were failing at their highest rate (5.04 per cent) since the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in October 2020 (5.08 per cent).

CreditorWatch says the pub closure is part of a growing number of closures in the hospitality sector. Picture: Facebook.

The food and beverage sector recorded the highest failure rate of all industries in October, increasing to 8.5 per cent from 8.3 per cent in the 12 months up to September this year.

CreditorWatch chief economist Ivan Colhoun said businesses were facing ongoing financial pressures much like their customers who were finding ways to cut their budget amid cost-of-living pressures.

“Together with some greater caution in discretionary spending and softness in interest rate sensitive sectors of the economy, this unsurprisingly has led to higher voluntary business closures and some rise in insolvencies,” Mr Colhoun said.

“We’re yet to see the extent to which the 1 July tax cuts now flowing through the economy will ease some of the pressures on consumers and businesses.”