The outback NSW pub made famous in David Bowie’s Let’s Dance video has been listed on Gumtree.
Carinda is a town of less than 200 people, located 635 kilometres north-west of Sydney, at roughly the same latitude as Coffs Harbour. It counts a servo, gift shop, public school, police station, town hall and a pub.
In 1983 the late* great David Bowie chose the rural locale and its cultural centrepiece, the Carinda Hotel, to shoot the video clip for what would become an international hit – Let’s Dance.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine the pop star said the message was in protest of racism.
“As much as I love [Australia], it’s probably one of the most racially intolerant [countries] in the world, well in line with South Africa,” he said at the time.
The rural community embraced the legend and message, going on to develop the annual Let’s Dance Festival, celebrating Carinda’s cultural heritage and moment in the spotlight.
Five years’ ago father and son team Dean and Malcolm George took over the tired pub, which was recently closed and empty.
The community jumped at the opportunity to help revive its semi-famous watering hole, helping to restore both its operations and originality, including the iconic ‘Bowie’ wall featured in the video.
“Carinda is a hard-working town that gets right behind supporting the local, and you will meet characters that you will only find in the outback and friends that you will hold for life!” offers Malcolm George.
The pub offers a large bar with draught beer, two cool rooms, kitchen and dining area, and six accommodation rooms attached at the rear, as well as three stand-alone cabins.
Malcolm now resides in Gosford, and determined the workload at the end of the seven-hour drive is more than he can continue to handle, listing the family asset at the start of March.
Allaying devotee fears the Festival’s future was in jeopardy, Dean told NME it has its own committee and is run by the community, and “will go ahead and for many years to come”.
The Georges have listed the freehold going concern on classifieds site Gumtree for an economical $220,000, with inspections to take place from mid-April. Find the listing HERE.
*David Bowie: January 8, 1947 – January 10, 2016
