The 1880 Hotel in Bathurst is in eager new hands, as the team of White and Saxby look to bring the love back to the regional landmark.
The two-storey pub resides on a prominent 1,233sqm lot opposite the Bathurst Council and Civic Centre, offering main bar and sports lounge, whiskey-cocktail bar, commercial kitchen and bistro with multiple seating areas, and a large new undercover rear veranda with a stage.
Previously known as the Edinboro Castle Hotel, owners Jason Oates and Ross Clarke remodelled it to become The 1880, in 2021. The pair went on to list the property in early 2023.
Stepping in came Greg and Rebecca Brimble, who bought it with a lease in place as an investment for $2.4 million, but found themselves having to take possession of the business and operate it under management.
Being not what they had planned, the Brimbles opted to list the business again, in 2024, through Manenti Quinlan & Associates, in conjunction with Moore and Moore Real Estate.
Street level of the hotel had been renovated, but opportunity was touted in the disused accommodation rooms and manager’s residence upstairs.
Becoming the third owners in only two years, taking the freehold going concern are Jarrod White and Nicole Saxby, who have been in the pub game for a couple of decades and have long looked for one to call their own.
Seeing the potential in the country watering hole “immediately” they signed the contracts and after a long settlement took the keys on Christmas Eve.
After spending the public holidays preparing, they threw open the doors 27 December and hit the ground running, looking to spread the word they had arrived and a new menu was coming, courtesy of a gun chef they inherited with the pub.
“He’s really on point with food, making fantastic dishes,” remarks White. “We just think the menu requires a little tweaking … we want to focus on things people can come in and enjoy.”
On the cards is a rejuvenation of the TAB and the accommodation rooms, but White is also planning the beautification of a laneway flanking the hotel, to use for dining, and better utilisation of the beer garden.
The couple are still considering ideas for the cocktail area, which may come to include a boutique bottleshop and place to showcase local wines.
White also likes the idea of entertainment, with the usual live music, punctuated by offerings that are a ‘bit different’, possibly including bingo dinners, performers such as magicians, and game show-style events, where a presenter engages the crowd in a spin on pub trivia that takes cues from the likes of Wheel of Fortune and Family Feud.
White also notes the rich history of the town and the hotel, reminiscent of the heady golf rush days.
Bathurst is a regional hub to greater NSW, located around two and a half hours’ drive west of Sydney with local population of more than 45K residents. It is the site of year-round sporting events, highlighted by its world-famous annual motor race.
White and Saxby have previously made a practice of sponsoring local sporting teams and working with institutions such as the ANZACs, and are hoping to make their mark on the Bathurst community.
This has already begun, with a ‘Return and Earn’ system being set up, and proceeds to be donated to local services.
Saxby spent a lot of time in her childhood in Bathurst, by virtue of her grandparents living there, and while the pair hope to move into town soon they are currently still commuting from Springwood, around 129 kilometres east, on the fringe of western Sydney.
Into their sixth week on deck, White says they are settling in nicely.
“We’re getting to know the locals … getting to know the town, and loving it,” he enthuses.
“It’s so exciting, and going really well.”
