Five Aussie pubs that will break you out of that 9-to-5 rut
Owning a pub is a dream for many – turning that after-work haunt into your own business.
Sure, many pubs these days come with a schooner-sized price tag, especially those in the inner city, but there are many other affordable pubs up for grabs. And owning an affordable one doesn’t always have to mean a move out to the country, where the pub is often one of the only businesses in town.
Best of all pubs offer the chance to escape the nine-to-five rut. Here are some beauties around the country to get you dreaming.
Just a few minutes from the bustling Adelaide Oval and the thousands of people drawn there, this historic pub sits in a much-sought after area of Adelaide.
The 1000-square-metre building originally opened in 1851 as the Duke of Wellington Hotel, and has been a successful pub and institution in the local area since.
The pub comes with bars, a bistro, poker machines and TAB, and its agent says there is also potential to extend, refurbish and reposition the business to make it into “one of Adelaide’s best meeting places”.
The pub is also conveniently close to a major residential development area of the former Channel Nine building, and less than three kilometres from the CBD.
The Brighton Up Bar is known as a breeding ground for up and coming local musicians, located in the heart of the vibrant Oxford Street precinct.
The venue, along with the accompanying pub, bottle shop and public bar is now up for sale for a lazy $8m, offering the chance to get all the fun of running a pub with some great live music too.
The venue has played host to favourite Aussie performers, including Courtney Barnett, The Peep Tempel and Gang of Youths.
This charming hotel is less than an hour’s drive to Melbourne, close to Ballarat and in walking distance of the beautiful Lake Colac.
It boasts a dining area with the obligatory open fire, public bar, beer garden and general store and bottle shop, along with a separate two-bedroom residence for the owners.
The 3500-square-metre pub is for sale with an asking price of $1.05 million.
The Barrier Reef Hotel is the last remaining pub from the 1930s era of Cairns, when the waterfront was a bustling hub of activity known as the Barbary Coast.
Now sitting among large waterfront developments, the old-school pub offers a glimpse back to a simpler time.
Located in the wharf precinct of Cairns, the 530-square-metre freehold property comes with plenty of water views along with “massive potential” to redevelop and refurbish.
Here’s one if you want to escape the rat race of the city for good and settle down in beautiful Tasmania.
About 20 minutes down the road from the famous Cradle Mountain National Park this 4.5-star lodge has a tavern, with eye-catching mountain-style decor, dining room and lounge, as well as a three-bedroom apartment upstairs.
It’s on a 7-hectare block that has eight separate cabins and suites, all set in amongst the trees. The marketing material says there is further opportunity to expand subject to council approval.
It comes with a $1.35m price tag.
