The Royal Hotel at Hill End temporarily closes after 150 years
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Residents in a gold rush town hope their local pub can be returned to its former glory despite it closing after months of deterioration that resulted in the 150-year-old venue no longer serving tap beer.
The Royal Hotel, the only public house in the New South Wales village of Hill End, near Mudgee, has temporarily shut its doors.
The publican leased the building from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in 2012.
The lessee recently told the ag
Gold panning tour guide Jhob Drinkwater said the community — which has a population of 110 — could see the end was nigh.
"The last chapter started off good and ended a little bit nasty — a bit like a bad break-up," he said.
Staff at the pub have told the ABC that prior to its closure, they had been paying for beer out of their own pocket.
"It shows how much the community wants to have the pub and to keep it alive," Mr Drinkwater said.
Jim Rutherford is the proprietor of the General Store — the last open shop in town.
He said the closure was nothing short of disappointing.
"It was a surprise to me the pub was in such poor shape, I've watched it deteriorate over the last 12 months," he said.
"It was inevitable on the course it was set." Pub with no tap beer
Former cook Joanne Auld said the lack of tap beer was a particularly sore point for visitors and locals alike.
"We'd get some comments and the shocked look on people's faces, it was quite embarrassing actually," she said.
"Dad still lives here, and he used to come down every Friday for his draught beer and do the raffle.
"He's not coming here for a bottle of beer — he can do that at home."
Ms Auld lost her job with the pub closure and spent her last shift cleaning out the fridges and packing away the linen.
"I'd say it has put a lot of people off coming here, you know, word gets around," she said.
"If you turned up here expecting to have a beer and a relax and a meal … you'd be telling your friends, wouldn't you?"
The ABC has spoken to the former lessee, who did not wish to comment.
Mr Rutherford's cafe across the road from the Royal Hotel was masquerading as a pub of sorts to fill the gap.
But he feared it could have a greater impact on the village if it did not reopen before the October long weekend.
"That's a very big time of year for us, we get a lot of our regular tourists, and a lot of first-time visitors," he said.
"If our pub isn't open and serving beer and hospitality by that point, I believe the recovery period will be exponentially long from there."
The agency was also in discussions with a prospective short-term tenant and would carry out maintenance works on the building while an agreement was negotiated.
It will then put the pub on the market on a long-term lease.
Artist and Hill End local, Luke Sciberras, said he felt hopeful for the pub's future.
"It's within the golden triangle of some great winemaking and artistic towns," he said.
"You've got Mudgee, Orange and Bathurst being equidistant as the crow flies.
"It could be a fantastic destination if they have a good wine list and a few, well-cooked sort of lamb shanks frozen up in the fridge."
He said the pub helped visiting artists take the pulse of the town, particularly burgeoning students from the National Art School in Sydney who travelled out for regular field trips.
"It's the first thing I did in 1997 when I came here as an art student," he said.
"It didn't take me long to realise that there was a rich history there, and also a very rich sense of community that all crystallised in that particular place."
Mr Drinkwater said the village felt excited about its new beginning.
"A lot of them are holding their breath for a new chapter and [are] really excited to see a fresh new publican," he said.
Meanwhile, the quasi-publican of the town, Mr Rutherford, said the building's potential was waiting to be tapped.
"It's got a bright future — there are two gold mines left, and it's one of them," he said.
By Lani Oataway
The Royal Hotel, the only public house in the New South Wales village of Hill End, near Mudgee, has temporarily shut its doors.
The publican leased the building from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service in 2012.
The lessee recently told the ag
Gold panning tour guide Jhob Drinkwater said the community — which has a population of 110 — could see the end was nigh.
Jim Rutherford says it is vital the pub is reopened by the October long weekend. (ABC News: Lani Oataway)
"The last chapter started off good and ended a little bit nasty — a bit like a bad break-up," he said.
Staff at the pub have told the ABC that prior to its closure, they had been paying for beer out of their own pocket.
"It shows how much the community wants to have the pub and to keep it alive," Mr Drinkwater said.
Jim Rutherford is the proprietor of the General Store — the last open shop in town.
He said the closure was nothing short of disappointing.
"It was a surprise to me the pub was in such poor shape, I've watched it deteriorate over the last 12 months," he said.
"It was inevitable on the course it was set." Pub with no tap beer
The Royal Hotel at Hill End is the last of 28 pubs that were built in the village during the gold rush. (ABC News: Lani Oataway)
Former cook Joanne Auld said the lack of tap beer was a particularly sore point for visitors and locals alike.
"We'd get some comments and the shocked look on people's faces, it was quite embarrassing actually," she said.
"Dad still lives here, and he used to come down every Friday for his draught beer and do the raffle.
Ms Auld lost her job with the pub closure and spent her last shift cleaning out the fridges and packing away the linen.
"I'd say it has put a lot of people off coming here, you know, word gets around," she said.
Jhob Drinkwater says he is worried the pub's closure will impact tourists. (ABC News: Lani Oataway)
"If you turned up here expecting to have a beer and a relax and a meal … you'd be telling your friends, wouldn't you?"
The ABC has spoken to the former lessee, who did not wish to comment.
Mr Rutherford's cafe across the road from the Royal Hotel was masquerading as a pub of sorts to fill the gap.
"That's a very big time of year for us, we get a lot of our regular tourists, and a lot of first-time visitors," he said.
"If our pub isn't open and serving beer and hospitality by that point, I believe the recovery period will be exponentially long from there."
Joanne Auld says she hopes the pub returns to its former grandeur, as she remembers growing up. (ABC News: Lani Oataway)
New chapter
The National Parks and Wildlife Service was working with the publican to organise an early conclusion to the lease.The agency was also in discussions with a prospective short-term tenant and would carry out maintenance works on the building while an agreement was negotiated.
It will then put the pub on the market on a long-term lease.
"It's within the golden triangle of some great winemaking and artistic towns," he said.
"You've got Mudgee, Orange and Bathurst being equidistant as the crow flies.
"It could be a fantastic destination if they have a good wine list and a few, well-cooked sort of lamb shanks frozen up in the fridge."
The pub had stopped offering tap beer, and was selling bottled beverages instead. (ABC News: Lani Oataway)
He said the pub helped visiting artists take the pulse of the town, particularly burgeoning students from the National Art School in Sydney who travelled out for regular field trips.
"It's the first thing I did in 1997 when I came here as an art student," he said.
"It didn't take me long to realise that there was a rich history there, and also a very rich sense of community that all crystallised in that particular place."
Mr Drinkwater said the village felt excited about its new beginning.
"A lot of them are holding their breath for a new chapter and [are] really excited to see a fresh new publican," he said.
Meanwhile, the quasi-publican of the town, Mr Rutherford, said the building's potential was waiting to be tapped.
"It's got a bright future — there are two gold mines left, and it's one of them," he said.
By Lani Oataway
