Owner of beloved Swan Valley venue explains sudden closure
James Young opened the Swan Valley restaurant three and a half years ago, and in such a short time it has become beloved by locals and visitors alike.
Known for it's in-house alcohol, extravagant cocktails and a menu filled with locally sourced produce, customers were shocked to hear the restaurant will be shutting its doors next month. Old Young's founder and owner James Young. Credit: Andrew Ritchie / The West Australian
Owner Mr Young said at its core, the business is a distillery with a restaurant, not visa versa, and the closure will allow him to focus more on the distillery.
'We are so proud of everything we have achieved at Old Young's Kitchen since opening in the heart of COVID back in December 2021,' he said.
'This decision was obviously a big call for us, and while we are incredibly proud of the success of the business to date, we decided to go out on a high.
'Running a top-quality hospitality business takes a laser focus that we want and need to apply to building a world-class distillery' Old Young's Pavlova Vodka Credit: Supplied / TheWest
While the restaurant opened just a few years ago, Old Young's Distillery has been operating since 2016 and has flourished, picking up two global recognition of Craft Producer and Brand Innovator of the year in 2023 at the Icons of Gin awards.
The laser focus requirement of running a restaurant became too much for the team, who are now dialling it back to put all their efforts in their world renowned gin.
'I'd like to thank everyone who has worked with us over this time propelling us to 2 stars and a nomination for WA Restaurant of the Year from the WA Good Food Guide and a listing in the Top 10 Regional Restaurants in Australia,' Mr Young said.
'Our head chefs, Rohan Park and Paul Greenham and their kitchen teams have served up stunning food, our front of house staff have elevated the level of hospitality in the Valley and I'd also like to single out our head bartender, Pat Torres who has been the genius behind our cocktail lists.
'A restaurant is nothing without customers and we would like to thank the over 90,000 people who has come through the door and been brave enough to try crocodile chorizo, emu pastrami or kangaroo tartare, while sipping on a Swan Valley wine, beer or an Old Young's cocktail.
'While we know our customers will be sad to hear our regular service will be finishing up in six weeks, we are hoping to welcome as many of them as possible back for a final lunch and cocktail or two.'
Although it's not a final goodbye for the venue shrouded in vines, as they will still host booked functions and planned weddings going forward.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
7 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Dumb way' Australians measure their superannuation balances as expert shares how to hit $1 million by the time you retire
For many Australians, a million in super has been a dream scenario. But it was more than was really necessary. Most Aussies who are retired never even got close and are absolutely fine. But for you? The person who isn't going to retire for ages? It is possible. It's actually even likely, if you are young enough. About half of all people aged 30 will end up with a million in super. But which half? A million dollars in super might be pretty nice to have in the future. Because the cost of living keeps going up. If inflation is high enough, a million dollars might be enough to buy Weet-Bix and keep the lights on! In this story we're going to look at who has what, and who is likely to end up with a million dollars in super. And we are going to look at some amazing graphs. No more averages please When I talk about super, I give the full story. Not just the averages. Averages are, in this context, dumb. Because almost nobody is the average. Super is not like height, where we are all fairly similar and an average is meaningful. When it comes to super, some people are like lego people and some are bigger than giraffes. The following charts break super up by age group. They also break your age group into 20 groups, from the zeroes on the left (no super) to the superheroes on the right (loads of super), and everyone else in the middle, in chunks of 5 per cent. This is useful because it shows you not just the average for your age, but where you stand compared to your peers. You can find yourself in the following charts (there's one for men and one for women) 1. First find your age group, 2. Then find the tallest column that is less than your super balance. That's your column. 3. See where your column stands. If it is the tallest you're in the top 5 per cent, second tallest top 10 per cent, etc. If your bar is near the right side, you're near the top. If your bar is near the left, you're closer to the bottom. Each bar is 5 per cent of that age group. The height of the bar is the minimum dollar amount to be in that group. My super balance is just below the second bar for my age group. Which means I'm in the third group – the top 15 per cent for my age. Not too bad, not amazing. My holidays in retirement might be a week at the coast not a month of cruising the Mediterranean, but at least I should get some holidays! Where will I end up? So … who is likely to end up with a million in super? If we make some simplifying assumptions – say everyone puts in $9000 a year and gets 7 per cent returns, we see the following. The charts are the same as the ones above, but I've coloured red the people who are able to hit a million by age 60. For women, we see about 20 per cent of those aged 35 to 39 will hit a million by age 60. Those whose balances are over $120,000 now are on their way to seven figures. For women under 30, all of them can hit a million. If they put $9000 a year away for 30 more years and get 7 per cent returns the magic of compounding will get them over the line. The following charts are for men. More men aged 35 to 39 will hit a million in super by age 60 – about 30 per cent of them. Again, all men under 30 can hit a million in super by age 60. In reality not everyone under 30 now will get there by 60. People who have no super at age 30 are not likely to start saving $9000 a year. Putting $9000 a year away is a lot for a person making below average income in 2025, so that assumption is a bit dubious, on the other hand some of these people will still be working in 30 years and at that point $9000 a year won't be much. The above charts are best thought of as a simplified model of what's possible. Should you worry about your super? Obviously this is just a projection – a guess, estimate, forecast. If you get promoted to manager or act super frugal you can end up with more than the projection. If someone drops a steel beam on your head or your business goes broke, you end up with less. And if you fall in a fiery volcano the day before your 60th birthday it won't matter at all. Super works only if civilisation still exists at retirement. And the longer the time frame you're looking at the harder it is to predict the future. Eighteen year olds aren't thinking about retirement and honestly good on them. Go have fun. Also, every so often history dishes up a big financial event that crashes markets and destroys wealth. If that arrives in your last five years before retirement, a lot of your good work in saving hard can be undone. The assumption I've made – of 7 per cent returns steadily each year – could come to look ridiculously optimistic. For anyone about to retire and stressing about the cost of living in retirement there is comfort in the knowledge that the pension is going to be there. Politicians have raised the pension age to 67 but no further rises are planned. If you can stretch your working life and savings to age 67 then the pension ($1051 per fortnight for a single) will carry you afterwards, and you needn't worry about super at all!
West Australian
5 days ago
- West Australian
Fortescue delivers iron ore record but will book $227m impairment after scraping two hydrogen projects
Iron ore is flowing from Fortescue's Pilbara mines at record rates but the green hydrogen side of the global business continues its rout. Fortescue shipped 55.2 million tonnes of iron ore from Port Hedland in the June quarter to finish the 2025 financial year with 198.4mt of exports. The results, predicted by The West Australian , were both a quarterly and yearly record for Fortescue. But the company's ailing green hydrogen hopes have taken another blow. 'Following a detailed review, Fortescue has determined that the Arizona hydrogen project in the United States and PEM50 Project in Gladstone, Australia will not proceed,' it stated on Thursday. 'An assessment is under way to repurpose the assets and the land.' Fortescue expects to book a $US150m ($227m) write-down after scrapping the two projects. More to come . . .
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Perth Now
New school campus opens in landmark Perth CBD building
A landmark 1985 building in the heart of Perth's west end has been transformed into a brand-new education hub, with AngliSchools House officially opening on Murray street. The repurposed building brings together the organisation's head office, AngliSchools International and Language College, and a secondary city campus for St George's Anglican Grammar School, which marks a significant milestone in AngliSchools' 40-year history. Staff and students moved into the new vertical campus on Tuesday to mark the start of Term 3. AngliSchools chief executive Reverend Peter Laurence said the new precinct would inject new life into the western end of the city, bringing daily activity to a part of the CBD which was often overlooked. Year 11 and 12 dance students Bella Prayudi, Stella Pickup, Juliette Andrews, Liv Gordon, Macy Chapman, Mackenzie Marshall & Sophia Warren. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian 'By day, AngliSchools House will be alive with students in red blazers, teachers and head office staff,' Rev. Laurence said. 'This is a building with purpose and energy, and one we believe will help continue to shape Perth's future as a vibrant education destination. 'This building represents so much more than bricks and mortar. It is a reflection of AngliSchools' continuing growth, and our commitment to delivering innovative, inclusive, and values-led education across WA and beyond.' The new vertical campus offers state-of-the-art facilities for students in years 7 to 12. The new science class. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian The new features include five state-of-the-art science labs, a performing arts centre with city views, and new spaces for specialist classes such as food tech, mechatronics, and woodwork. The campus also offers breakout areas to support student wellbeing and recreation. St George's Anglican Grammar School principal Tina Campbell said that after years of planning and dreaming, the campus was now ready for use. 'This is a transformative moment not just for our students and staff but for education in WA,' she said. Year 11 music students Eva Campbell, Lawson Forrester, Hanea Kim and Erin Sinclair. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian 'The new building allows St George's to continue to grow as a school with four-stream entry across years 7 to 12 in the heart of the CBD. Perth is truly becoming an education hub.' While the new campus will be the main site for students, the school's original William Street building will continue to be used in the short-term. The building earned the 2025 WA State Award for Excellence in Repair, Restoration and Retrofitting from the Concrete Institute of Australia. Year 8 students Tayla Green, Molly Hammond, Indi Ryan and Scarlette Vuletich. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian The project reused 2734 cubic metres of existing concrete, diverting around 6480 tonnes of material from landfill and preventing more than 1000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. 'Our identity as Perth's only inner-city school remains unchanged, but with this new campus we can offer so much more,' Ms Campbell said. 'It's a school built for tomorrow, open today.' The new vertical campus offers state-of-the-art facilities for students in years 7 to 12. Credit: Michael Wilson / The West Australian
