The 80-year-old art deco St James Hotel was passed-in at auction on Friday, April 5.
The freehold and business was passed-in with a vendor’s bid of $550,000, but a prospective buyer was meeting with agent Kevin Hicks after the auction.
A crowd of about 50 local people turned out to see what would happen to their only hotel. Some joined in for a beer afterwards.
The town, famed for being the birthplace of the G.J. Coles business, once had five or seven hotels (depending on who you talk to).
A report with further photos will be in next week’s Country News.