26/06/2026
This week another country pub announced that it was shutting its doors until further notice because of financial pressures.😞
Hopefully it's temporary. Hopefully they find a way to get the doors back open.
But it got me thinking about how many country pubs we've lost over the years, and how many more we're going to lose if things don't change.
Everyone loves a country pub. They love the idea of them anyway. Then one shuts and everyone says how sad it is.
The thing is, by then it's too fu**in late.
Country pubs aren't just somewhere to have a beer. They're where footy clubs celebrate, where fundraisers happen, where travellers stop, where locals catch up and where communities come together.
Once they're gone, they're bloody hard to get back.
These days everyone's chasing the big shiny venues with the fancy renovations and massive pokie rooms. That's fine, but most of those places will still be there tomorrow. A lot of them are owned by the same investors anyway.
The little independent pubs are different. They've got character. They've got stories. They've got people behind them who live in the community and genuinely care about the place.
I know times are tough. I know fuel's expensive and money doesn't go as far as it used to.
I'm not having a crack at anyone.
I'm just asking people to think about where they spend their money.
Maybe instead of heading back to the same investor-owned pub you always go to, jump in the car and visit a little country pub. Have a meal. Have a beer. Buy a raffle ticket. Have a yarn with the publican.
The big pub probably won't notice if you don't walk through the door this weekend.
Small buisnesses will.
And if the it does reopen, get out there and support it.
Because the truth is, if we don't support these places while they're open, we'll keep seeing more of them close.
And every time one closes, a town loses a little bit of what makes it special.
Everyone says they love a country pub. The question is, do we love them enough to support them before they're gone?
