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The Captains Flat Hotel has sold for $900,000. Photo: RE/MAX.
The pub which once held claim to the longest bar in the Southern Hemisphere, the Captains Flat Hotel, has sold to the Durr family for $900,000.
John Buckley and Gary Kelly from RE/MAX were tasked with the sale. Mr Buckley said the final sale price was pretty close to expectation.
He described Captains Flat as a “very tidy village” with a community that has “sorely missed” its hotel since it was closed due to the pandemic in September 2020.
“The buyers (Durr family) are locals who have lived in the area for a very long time, are well known and when they open up I believe people will become very familiar with what I think will be a very unique and new style for the hotel,” Mr Buckley said.
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“The hotel was built when there was a population of 3500 miners around the village. The lifestyle of the village has changed dramatically from when the mine was open and to continue with that, expecting people just to turn up and have a drink every afternoon, it’s not going to be quite the same, is it?
“We had a number of people looking at ways to utilise the space more effectively and it’ll all be unveiled as it goes along, but these people bring an impressive plan to make it work best moving forward.”
Captains Flat Hotel holds four bars, one of which is believed to be the longest bar in Australia. Photo: RE/MAX.
Representing the family, Tracey Durr said that the first month of owning the pub has been exciting but a little overwhelming.
“We are just absolutely under the pump at the moment,” she said. “We’re rebuilding our house that we lost to fire a couple of years ago, so we’re in the process of trying to finish it off before we can focus on the pub.”
While many people have dreamt of owning a pub all their lives, for the Durrs, the opportunity was one that just “came up” and was “too good to miss out on”.
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However, with a local community eager to see the pub reopened, Ms Durr warned that it might take some time to restore the “grand old lady” to her “grand old days”.
“We want to take the time and effort to restore her as much as we possibly can,” she said.
“There is a huge amount of work to be done out there before we can contemplate selling anything from it.
“We’re not prepared to reopen until we can get it to the point where we can get our commercial health and safety certificate.”
The pub is famous for at once stage being the longest bar in the Southern Hemisphere. After the bar was shortened from 32.2 m to 22.8 m, its owners claimed it remains the longest bar in Australia. Ms Durr suspected that they wouldn’t be the only pub owners holding claim to that title.
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“I think there are quite a few pubs in Australia that would run for contention on that, but we’re reasonably confident to say it’s the longest in NSW and it’s still a bloody long bar,” she said.
All in all, Ms Durr said the family was excited to show their vision and hard work to the community eventually but pleaded for patience for the time being.
Had lunch there a few years ago. Not bad.
They better not shorten it….. if anything open beer gardens either end and extend it🤣
Rhi Benjamin did we go here before?
Why is this pub cheaper than most houses 😅
Because it’s fairly isolated, Shauna. It has a captive market, but it’s not a large one, and various services there are quite patchy. Having said that, if WFH continues, and the internet services down there improve, they could be sitting on a gold mine.
Tracey Faucett – have to call in for a drink!
Jocelyn Brenner let’s do it on that weekend away?
Anthony Trevaskis it may be open next time we are passing through.
Nathan Hopkins you a pub owner now 😉
Willie Mckenzie na mate not me
Nathan Hopkins thought you were the only one with that sort of coin 🤷♂️
Matt Kennedy pub lunch when she reopens
Lea Thomas can we tag along?
Rachael Spencer would love that! Longest Bar in Australia needs two sisters sitting at it for a photo opportunity!
Wow really I went there not so long ago as captains flat is mine and my brothers birth place
Karen Gillen wow sorry to hear.
Karen Gillen Really you were born there
My father was born in Braidwood …
Joel Spannari should have bought it
We are Captains Flat families, Byron’s, Chalker’s.
What happened to the licence?
My dad, Colin Worland worked at the mine for years and Helen (Billy) O’Brien, used to wait for the mine whistle to blow indicating the end of Colin’s shift. Helen would watch the miners come down from an upstairs window at this Hotel. They married at Captains Flat, and lived next door to the Bowerman’s in Foxlow Street. My two sisters, Sue & Colleen & me, had a great childhood in Captains flat until the mine closed. It was a very close knit community. Good luck to the new owners.
What a lovely story, please drop in to meet us. We love hearing personal history. Regards Tracey
Roslyn Thomas beautiful family, the Bowermans’
Gwen Wilson here you go. that went pretty cheap!!
Brett Stinson far out so cheap!
Brett Stinson we should’ve all chucked in and bought it hahaha
Kirsten Jane good old captain’s flat! Love them stories
Kirsten Jane that’s where ella and kai had there property
Tony Jacklin enjoyed a couple out there
Luke Baker sure did mate
Mattie O’Meley how did we let this opportunity go to waste
Mattie O’Meley reckon we can sample a bottle …
Pity you need to be airlifted into Captain’s Flat these days…..
(Reference to what is meant to be a road)
I had a great time out there many years ago, sarsparilla on tap and a gorgeous vintage shop.
Margaret Solomons Pat Bradley Cathy Guarino Helen Brown Wendy Willoughby
Rene Cronan-Dixon Michele France Thompson remember this place 😳
Joshua Shepherd is this what you were buying in captains flat?
Kylie Reece still gonna be a pub
Debbie Matthews I hope so.
Kylie Reece did you read the article?
I heard it was going to be a women’s refuge and a back packers place!
David Pear Owen He didn’t did he?
Pub at Nundle also boasted a similar claim.
Hopefully they keep it looking original
Fantastic news, a grand old pub and it will be lovely for people once again to stop off and visit and have a beer or two. Congratulations guys, good luck with the Reno’s.
If the local council pushesvahead with a rail trail to Bungendore the I think you will see a huge influx of Canberra daytrippers. Also there are many good cycling paths around that area
Great news! Congratulations to the new owners for having a go.
Really. I thought the longest bar belonged to a hotel in Bankstown Sydney. It might have even been the Bankstown Hotel. I had a beer or three there around 53 years ago.
John Patrick https://timegents.com/2016/08/25/australias-longest-bars/
I remember when they refused children to go in at all, not even to go the loo, able & disabled.
better off opening a shop
There was chat on local area social media that it will no longer be a pub when they re open.
Lucinda K Casey-Billington the locals were assuming that… they started unnecessary rumours.
Cheaper than a house these days
No one will be able to go there,with the price of fuel at the moment 😉
Paul White Need to get the train running again!
Paul White Another reason is the terrible condition of the road getting there!
It’s a beautiful pub but it needs capital expenditure.
Cheyenne Farrell Wood we need to do a lunch date here one day soon
They need to open at some point 🤣 its been a long long time coming
Only been there once , explains why it’s so cheap -would love to see some love put into it
Des Main, did we have lunch there a few years back?
Keith Main long time ago.
Peter O’Rourke yeah nah
Isaac Dugdale I think the longest bar crown has moved south past Gundagai now 🙃
Is it still going to be run as a pub
Cheaper than a 3 bed apartment in civic.
Far out! Did it come with the liquor licence?
Robyn Norris already got one of those
Maggie May There you go!
Bronwyn Meredith thankyou. Just shared it. Ta.
Maggie May It’ll be interesting to see what the Durr family does with it. It’s quite a nice looking building.
Bronwyn Meredith yep it is. Ooh I would have loved to have purchased it. Just as my own home🤣🤣🤣
Treat it like a house with a hobby business and you might stand a chance.
Onelia Herriot if the road to Braidwood was sealed and the council then promoted the Queanbeyan, Captains Flat, Braidwood, Bungendore loop as a tourist drive then the town might thrive
I was thinking it would make a nice bike ride out there to check out the pub.
William Mudford crazy ride. Check the road first.
Leigh Taafe we are currently doing some work in the town. It needs something. Not one shop open there.
Maybe it has no poker machines those are takes the prices up – hope new owners keep it open
Suzie Mac Dougall correct. They were sold years ago
Matt Van Kerk Oerle I hope it’s not you 🤣
Mellie Kirkman we were only talking about this!
Tamara Teer longest bar in the southern hemisphere apparently
Pedro Melissa Josh – funniest post-wedding memories 😆
Amber Daverin Kenna Pedro Kennardly Josh Reakes Petey… “JOOSSSSHHHHHH! “
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