Cathy and Darren Williams to sell historic Gippsland pub

A renowned East Gippsland pub is set to change hands two years after it was purchased by a local family.

Buchan Caves Hotel pub owners Cathy and Darren Williams. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

A historic East Gippsland pub has been listed for sale two years after it was acquired by a local Buchan South family.

Darren and Cathy Williams are selling the Buchan Caves Hotel, as they prepare to relinquish ownership of the renowned watering hole.

Family health issues and a prioritising of interests has brought the venue to the market.

“It is a great opportunity to have a fantastic building which is a centrepiece of the town,” Mr Williams said.

“It would be great for someone who can put in the time and effort and take it further.”

In July 2022 the couple purchased the venue adding it to their nearby existing hospitality business, The Stockmans Camp.

The Buchan Caves Hotel has been priced at $1.295 million (plus stock at valuation), available for sale, including both the business and the freehold.

The venue has a storied history dating back to when it was originally built and opened by William Kellie in 1882.

Darren and Cathy Williams have listed the Buchan Caves Hotel for sale after purchasing it in July 2022.

The Buchan Inn was one of two hotels in the township, purchased by John Wyatt who converted it into a guesthouse known as River View House.

In 1917, Else Cameron then bought River View House and re-established it as the Caves Hotel, Buchan, which it has traded as ever since.

Previously, the Buchan Caves Hotel was sold by Greg and Marg Brick who bought the pub in 2007, before selling it to a conglomerate in 2013, while keeping a small shareholding.

When the pub was destroyed in 2014 after it was engulfed by flames caused by an electrical fire, the conglomerate decided not to reinvest and the Bricks retook full ownership.

The Bricks rebuilt the pub with the help of a crowd-funding campaign led by locals, which raised $605,146. The pub reopened in June 2016.

Offered for sale by King and Heath First National Bairnsdale agent Matt Bayliss, the Buchan Caves Hotel has an open-plan public bar with a spacious north facing outdoor decking, a central commercial kitchen, a large restaurant, plus a two-bedroom manager’s residence on the first floor.

A series of unfortunate summers have hit East Gippsland and Buchan in recent years following the 2019-20 Black Summer fires, Covid pandemic and a freak storm last year which claimed the lives of two overseas tourists and affected access to the Buchan Caves.

Originally published as Cathy and Darren Williams to sell historic Gippsland pub