Pub dreams a reality in country Victoria
You don’t need $30 million to make your publican dreams come true — there are a handful of options in country Victoria that could quench your thirst.
While buyers will need to stretch their budget to tens of millions to pick up Melbourne’s oldest pub, The Duke of Wellington, which hit the market in the big smoke last week, a much more modest $60,000 could put you behind the bar of the historic Numurkah Hotel.
That price would buy a 15-year lease on the pub at 58 Melville St, about 35km north of Shepparton.
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The other option is to buy the freehold — the building and the land — for $520,000 or both the leasehold and the freehold for $580,000.
The pub, which has a public bar, bistro, beer garden, function room and 12 bedrooms, is one of about 20 country Victorian pubs listed for sale.
The Numerkah Hotel features a beer garden.
Maurice McNamara & Company First National agent David McNamara says it is rare for these opportunities to come up.
“It is a good little pub and would be a good opportunity to get in on the ground floor cheaply,” he says.
McNamara says the vendor is keen to sell and has already reduced the price twice.
It last changed hands for $113,131 in 2004, CoreLogic records show.
The Commercial Hotel at Woods Point.
If mountains are you’re preferred destination, the Commercial Hotel at Woods Point, an 80km drive east of Marysville, is also on the market.
Built in the early 1940s, 22 Bridge St has 12 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms, and as asking price of $650,000.
The hotel serves as a hub for recreational trail-bike riders, four-wheel-drivers and campers, its REA Group listing reads.
The Commercial Hotel features an old-school-style timber bar.
Set on 1900sqm, it can sleep up to 30 guests and has a manager’s quarters, beer garden and commercial kitchen.
CoreLogic records show it last change hands in 2010 for $335,000.
Meanwhile, the Railway Station Hotel at Eaglehawk, near Bendigo, is also up for grabs.
9 Hall St, Eaglehawk, is on the market for $420,000-$460,000.
With an asking price of $420,000-$460,000, Bendigo Real Estate agent Adrian Robinson says it would suit someone looking to get a start in owning their own hospitality business.
“It has been let go but it would suit someone looking to make it their own,” he says.
“It’s a good starting point for those wanting to be a publican.”
The Railway Station Hotel has a seated bar.
Robinson says the five-bedroom pub at 9 Hall St is opposite the suburb’s train station.
He said with upgrades planned for the station, the pub could make for a good future investment.
CoreLogic records show it last changed hands for $270,000 in 2008.
The Railway Station Hotel at Eaglehawk has an outdoor beer garden.
This article from The Herald Sun was originally published as “Tap into Victoria’s country pub market”.
