Rosewood's historic 'Ghost Pub' is dying
COUNTRY pubs appear to be facing the same battle to stay open as the city's central pubs.
The 100 year old Rosewood Hotel, also known as the Middle Pub, has more recently become known as "the pub with no beer".
The bar closed at the hotel after Christmas and co-owner, Ipswich councillor David Pahlke said he was not sure if it would re-open as a pub.
It had been leased out since May 2013 to operators offering a Chinese food menu, closed and reopened for a short period late last year but has only opened for accommodation this year.
The Rosewood Hotel was the first hotel site in Rosewood. Although the original pub burnt down in 1914, the license goes back to the 1870s.
"It's a sad trend that's happening all over Australia," Cr Pahlke said.
"We seem to be losing the Aussie identity in a lot of areas. The country style pub has to metamorphasize into something else."
He said the overheads involved were making many country pubs unviable.
"Anyone who owns a small business, or in this case a pub, will know what I'm talking about when you look at the overheads; the cost of insuring the place, the rates, the water rates, the electricity," he said.
"When you are adding that all up it is overwhelming.
"There's three pubs in town and there is probably similar stories from those hotels at the moment with costs.
"I love the Rosewood Hotel, it's an old building and, like anything you have a passion for, they tend to cost you money in the long term."
Cr Pahlke lived in the hotel for eight years and said he had some "fabulous" times.
"I'm just sitting here at the moment thinking 'what do I do with it?'.
"I work some 60 to 70 hours a week at the council and it is hard to find the time to apply myself to it.
"A younger person could make a real go of this lovely old 'Ghost Pub'.
The historic hotel has been a set location to numerous films such as 500 Miles, The Tree, The Eddie Mabo Story as well as a Ben Lee music video and many Castlemaine XXXX ads.
"With my council work, most people have hobbies or passions where they make things in their shed, this is my men's shed.
"I suppose I'm resisting selling it but there will probably come a time when we will need to."
Mr Pahlke said regulations and licensing requirements haven't kept up with the downturn in business for pubs.
"People just don't realise the overheads, all the rules and regulations, the health licenses, building licenses and permits, upgrade fire extinguishers," he said. "As a councillor I find it hard to accept sometimes that all levels of government actually understand the real needs of small business."
Source: The Queensland Times, Brian Bennion, 7th September 2015
Originally published as: Rosewood's historic 'Ghost Pub' is dying
