07-08-2025
Moonan Flat pub closes as locals worry it will be end of the tiny Hunter town
The only thing worse than a pub with no beer may be a town with no pub.
That is what the residents of the tiny town of Moonan Flat are facing.
Its only hotel is closed and for sale.
The village in the Upper Hunter, near the Barrington Tops National Park, is home to just 30 residents.
But the patronage of farmers from surrounding properties and tourists on their way up the Barringtons meant the pub was once a thriving hub of rural life.
Regular patron Ray Keaton said the venue was vital for the small community.
"There was one fellow who used to come here every day, [and] when he passed away last week, we didn't know.
"Had [the pub been open], it would have been a different story; we would have wondered where he was and checked on him."
Without the pub, tourists have nowhere to eat, drink, or sleep, and locals have nowhere to meet.
Residents are worried it might be the end of the historic town.
Upper Hunter Shire Council Mayor Maurice Collison, who lives at Moonan Flat, said small communities relied on their pub for more than just a beer.
"If you're having a yarn to someone, it often breaks that little barrier that you may be going through.
"It's a place to do business and pick up employment, it's great for tourism … if people are working in the area, they use the facility for accommodation."
Cr Collision said he was particularly worried about the loss of tourism if another buyer could not be found.
He said the council had recently spent "a lot of money" on the sealed road that led to Barrington Tops.
"It's crucial to tourism for the whole [Upper Hunter] because this is the track to the coast," Cr Collison said.
Local Gary Johnson said being able to catch up with mates at the pub had been crucial for his mental health.
"There are quite a few single people [who live alone] in the area, and they come here and they meet up, so each one knows what the other one's doing.
"Now, they'll be out working and people won't know where they are or what they're doing, so it makes it sort of an unsafe situation too."
Kate Morris cancelled her wedding party when the pub closed, and said there was nowhere else close by that could accommodate her 180 guests.
"It's a big let-down," she said.
After the pub's manager left town last month, the Newcastle-based owners closed the doors and the 'For Sale' sign went up.
Real estate agent Deane Moore, who is selling the property, said multiple inquiries had been received.
"We are hopeful of having the asset sold and seeing the historic hotel reopen again," he said.
But Cr Collison said finding a buyer for an isolated pub would be challenging.
"It is very hard in the country because to find [staff] is tough and the transport to get your stuff out is very expensive," he said.
