Millthorpe's Commercial Hotel is for sale for about $2 million
A historic pub has just been put up for sale in the region that’s become one of the most popular tree-change destinations in Australia since the start of COVID-19.
With house prices in the Orange area of NSW rising 21.8 per cent year-on-year due to a pandemic-induced surge of city dwellers looking for a less densely populated refuge, agents feel the pub at the village of Millthorpe could smash records too.
“People are looking to get out of the cities and work remotely, and with a pub, you can live in a regional area and also have a business there,” said Richard Royle, the co-principal of agency Cullen Royle, who’s selling The Commercial Hotel in the town.
“Being able to incorporate private life and business life is a very attractive proposition at the moment, especially for people from Sydney and Melbourne in such a sought-after area.”
Built in 1877, The Commercial Hotel was one of the first buildings in the heritage-listed village, a 20-minute drive south-east of Orange and 30 minutes west of Bathurst, and has just gone through a major renovation. As well as the bar, it also has an award-winning restaurant, its The Commercial Quarters has seven guest rooms, and there’s an absence of poker machines.
The Victorian-era property is now being sold via an expressions of interest campaign with a price guide of $2 million.
The owners, Orange-based siblings Andrew and Kath Logan, bought the pub in 2020 but received so many offers to buy the place after their renovation, they’ve now decided to sell.
“So many people coming through the door said they’d be interested in buying it, we eventually agreed to put it on the market,” said business strategist Andrew Logan, who has managed hospitality businesses in the past. “It’s a great place and a real locals’ hang-out as well as catering for out-of-town visitors.
“We fell in love with the place. It’s such a stylish old building, but it had been empty for quite a while when we bought it. All of us kept saying someone should do something until we thought that if no one else would, we should. And the more we did to it, the more we loved it.”
Millthorpe is part of the Orange wine region in Central West NSW and is well known as a growing gourmet centre, with a number of restaurants and cool climate wineries.
The Commercial Hotel was always a beacon in Central West as the place for good food – winning a number of awards in the Pub Food Guide, run by The Sydney Morning Herald, for its steaks and burgers – and comfortable accommodation.
However, after it was sold by long-time owners Gerry and Cynthia Faulkner, it has faced mixed fortunes.
“We were looking at some old photos of the place the other day, and when we bought it, it was a mess,” said Mr Logan.
“So, we stripped it all back, then added to it with the help of an interior designer who had a lovely delicate touch with the original Victorian styling … We wanted to bring back the iconic ‘Top Pub’ feel and make it welcoming for everyone.”
With former owner Gerry Faulkner still a regular, however, the Logans’ main concern during the eight-month restoration was that he, along with the other locals, wouldn’t like it. Thankfully, they all did.
Reaction to the four rooms – the bar, the fireplace room and two lounges – has been good, and the custom-built Smartstone bar is just as popular as the old one ever was. The pub’s restaurant, Commercial Kitchen, seats 50 in two dining rooms, and 30 on an enclosed veranda, with space outside in the courtyard and on the lawn.
“It now has a very fresh contemporary feel,” said Mr Royle. “They’ve done very well to bring it all together. I think it’s going to appeal to a lot of people who might either want to be involved in running the business or install professional managers.
“But it’s a great chance to have a business in such a popular regional location and be a part of the whole paddock-to-plate movement.”
His co-principal, Deb Cullen, agrees. “There are so many country pubs that are run down and require significant sums of money to restore them, but with the Commercial, everything is done,” she said.
“Since it is a working, furnished, fully staffed pub, a buyer can walk in and operate it from day one, although there’s still an opportunity for the buyer to develop further, with space at the back of the block for more accommodation, storage or a small residence.”
Mr Logan feels similarly that it’s a great chance for someone to make a mark in such a popular area.
“If Orange is the inland Byron Bay, then Millthorpe is Bangalow, a tightly-held locals-only satellite packed with amazing food, wine and upmarket retail,” he said.
“We wanted to see the Commercial blossom, and I think we’ve done that. Now is the time for someone else to pour themselves into it.”
