Patrons farewell historical pub in outback town amid spate of closures

Harry Plane says there were a few tears shed as he and his friends farewelled their favourite pub. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren) The Junction Hotel has become the latest historical pub in Broken Hill to close its doors after being sold to a local business syndicate. The hotel's manager says the pub was no longer sustainable after losing its poker machines. A delegate of the Australian Hotels Association has warned hotels in remote locations need to diversify their business model in order to survive. Link copiedShareShare articleFor more than 60 years, Harry Plane has had a designated seat at his favourite local pub. The Junction Hotel in the outback mining city of Broken Hill has served as a gathering place for miners, footy players, and railway workers for more than 130 years. As he sips on a beer, Mr Plane reminisces about the good old days of the pub. "We used to have the mine boys in here every night, afternoon shift, or day shift," Mr Plane said. The Junction Hotel, pictured in the 1960s, opened in 1891 and was named after the nearby Junction Mine. (Supplied: Jenny Camilleri) Opened in 1891, the pub called last drinks earlier this month for the final time. The hotel's new owners, a local business syndicate, are unlikely to reopen it as a pub. Mr Plane said he would miss the camaraderie with fellow patrons the most. Pub regulars John Kinnear and Michael Baldwin enjoy their final beers at the Junction Hotel. (ABC Broken Hill: Andrew Schmidt) In the mining city's heyday in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when its population peaked at more than 35,000, it boasted more than 70 pubs. The city's pubs have been declining along with its population, with the Junction Hotel the latest casualty. Since 2000-2001, the population in Broken Hill and far west NSW has declined by 18 per cent, to about 17,500 people. The decline is driven in part by the modernisation of mining operations, which require fewer workers. Dean Trengove is the Australian Hotels Association state council delegate and owns his own pub in the city. His venue includes poker machines, a restaurant and a drive-through bottle-o. Mr Trengove said he understood times were tough for the city's pubs due to evolving drinking habits, cost-of-living pressures and strict compliance. "There's a lot of things added into the price of a product that we're selling in pubs." Harry Plane says the Junction Hotel was a popular watering hole for miners coming off shift. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren) Mr Trengove said if pubs were to survive, they needed to consider diversifying their offerings. "In Broken Hill, it's survival of the fittest and it's about the facilities that you offer and a lot of times it's how you run your business," he said. "You've got to try and offer as many services as you can to maintain and give people a reason to come to the pub." Grant Williams will likely hold the title of the last publican of the Junction Hotel. He was the pub's manager when it was previously sold in 2022 to a Sydney investor, who moved the hotel's nine poker machines to a different city. It was this decision that Mr Williams believes spelled the end of the pub. Grant Williams, likely the last publican of the Junction Hotel, locks the doors of the pub for the final time. (ABC Broken Hill: Andrew Schmidt) "Once the pokies went, we didn't make any money," Mr Williams said. "[The hotel] was losing a lot of money every week because I lost 50 regulars because they like to play the pokies. Across Broken Hill and Wentworth, there are 469 poker machines in clubs and 51 in hotels, which collectively earned more than $11 million from December to March, according to Liquor & Gaming NSW data. Pubs are woven into the rich social history of this remote mining city in far west New South Wales. Emily McInerney, who has published a book on the history, said the city was well-known for having a pub on every corner. Emily McInerney has written a book about the unique history of pubs in Broken Hill and far west NSW. (ABC Broken Hill: Kristina Rosengren) She said the names of pubs were closely tied to the region's mining history, such as the Silver King, the Bonanza and the Exchange, and they became meeting places for trade unions, social clubs and political rallies. Ms McInerney said even now, pubs were more than just a place to go and drink.

Patrons farewell historical pub in outback town amid spate of closures

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