Popular Sydney music venue HiWay Enmore collapses, immediate shut down

A popular Sydney venue has been forced to close its doors for good after it collapsed owing $160,000.

A popular Sydney venue has been forced to close its doors for good after it collapsed owing $160,000.

HiWay Enmore, a live music venue in Sydney’s inner west, announced it had closed effective immediately.

The venue was placed into liquidation with Steven Kugel and Scott Howell from Insolvency Experts appointed to handle the matter.

Mr Howell said the “liquidation is end of the road” for the venue.

“Prior to our appointment the landlord had taken possession of the property so it’s all over,” he told news.com.au.

HiWay Enmore owed $160,000 to around 15 creditors, Mr Howell said, based on the information provided from the director.

Hiway Enmore has been closed after the landlord took possession. Picture: News Corp

He said one former performer may have been impacted with $150 owed to them but he was still trying to get in contact.

Around 12 of the creditors were owed less than $2000, while roughly $110,000 was outstanding to Revenue NSW for a Covid grant, he added.

The landlord was also around owed around $20,000, while the Australian Taxation Office was chasing between $10,000 and $20,000, Mr Howell said.

“The accounts show the director is by far and large the biggest shareholder owed around $360,000, so his debts are almost the double the other creditors,’ he said.

“I know there have been sustained losses over the past three years. I don’t know whether Covid had a factor to it all, in those years where Covid was around it was making losses but that doesn’t mean it was Covid.

“I really don’t know what happened yet. We have only been in a week so that’s part of our investigations to determine what’s happened.”

The venue would have endured multiple Covid lockdowns and restrictions. Picture: News Corp Australia

However, Mr Howell added that nothing stood out about the collapse “that is strange or untoward”.

“It’s your typical company that had sustained losses and it was supported by directors and shareholders and they had had enough or they run out of money and were not going to support it anymore,” he noted.

The live music venue had announced its was ceasing on its website.

“HiWay has closed,” its website said.

“Thank you to the artists and patrons who supported us.”

Some performers revealed they had been forced to cancel upcoming shows.

HiWay Enmore’s demise comes at a time where a number of other popular outlets have been shut down.

Hiway Enmore was popular among live music lovers. Picture: News Corp

Hospitality has been hard hit with beloved Jellyfish Cafe located along the beachfront in Many went bust earlier this month following almost two decades of operation, leaving locals shattered.

Local institution Caruso’s Italian Restaurant in Gymea in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire was also forced to close its doors for good blaming the skyrocketing cost of living.

A popular bar and burger joint known as The Beer & Burger Bar in Melbourne’s inner city has had to shut down as post-Covid woes continued to bite.

There was also South Australian eatery, Seed Clare Valley, which informed customers it had gone under and would be ceasing trade “effective immediately”

It was a similar story up north on Queensland’s Gold Coast where La Diosa Mexicana, located inside the busy Circle on Cavill Shopping Centre, had no choice but to close its doors.

Meanwhile, In2Food group, a fresh food distribution company went bust for a second time in less than two years with up to $20 million in debt and 1000 creditors owed money.