Ballarat’s historic and celebrated Mallow Hotel has closed in a cloud of questions, as its husband and wife operators disappear.
A pub was first built on the site in 1862, but the current structure was likely constructed later that century and modified a number of times since.
It has had its brushes with authorities, the records showing publican Annie Margaret Field was fined £2 by the city in 1935 for “the unlawful disposal of liquor on [a] Sunday”. In 1938 publican Alexander Gordon Allen was fined £5 for having had the bar door open, and £2 for having disposed of liquor. Six men inside the hotel were each fined £1.
Surviving this triste with thirties’ authorities, the operation was acquired by Dallas Robb in May 2020, and excluding the existing and future lockdowns that were to inhibit its operation, by many accounts it became “such an iconic Pub under Dallas”.
Calling time on his COVID-tainted tenure after just a couple of years, late 2022 the Mallow sold and closed for a period as it was taken over by Garth and Nicole Healey, who were moving to Ballarat from the Mornington Peninsula.
At the start of 2023 it reopened, Garth bringing 13 years’ experience in hospitality and the couple saying they were looking to keep the pub’s friendly atmosphere, as they operated it and lived upstairs.
There was no shortage of initiative, seeing the Mallow hosting regular live music, as well as Taco Tuesdays and Trivia Wednesdays. They held events such as the Mulled Wine & Toastie evening, and even put on Ballarat’s first-ever Jenga Championship.
For reasons unknown, reportedly since around the start of 2024 Garth has been operating the pub by himself.
Earlier this month it was posted to social media that due to “a few unforeseen events, including urgent renovations” the Mallow would be closed for the week but that “we will be back soon”.
Oddly, a second post the same day offered that the hotel “will be open from tomorrow for fresh beverages only until further notice” – only to have Garth correct this with a comment that “Unfortunately due to health issues we will be closed”.
The following day a follow-up explained that due to health-related issues they would not in fact be open tonight, and “sorry for the inconvenience”.
Several days later, a seemingly jovial final post quipped “Hey kids, Unfortunately due to health issues the pub will be closed”.
In the following days a Reddit thread appeared boding that the “word on the street” was that ‘The Mallow has Closed’.
Contributors praised prior operators, but one self-professed frequent customer spoke of unfortunately seeing a sharp decline in recent months, suggesting they saw the end coming and a ‘big red flag’ of the publican allegedly “serving while intoxicated”. Claiming to be in the know, the person said the pub was behind on rent and other payments, and there had been “a mass staff exodus”.
Another claiming to have been an employee spoke of kitchen fridges not working and being forced to put food on trays of ice, and the keg system failing “multiple times” as “cheap and quick” fixes became the norm.
“Staff were being short-changed in their pay, and pay cycles were delayed,” wrote the former staffer. “Suppliers wouldn’t deliver stock unless it was paid cash on delivery.”
This person echoed the comments on the publican drinking allegedly “bottles of Scotch everyday”.
People reminisced of the smoked meats menu, said to have been “fantastic” but another explained that the smoker broke, so the kitchen “couldn’t continue with smoked meats”.
Another recent guest praised the “good beer selection” but added that they were “bitterly disappointed with the food”.
A patron who said they have been visiting the pub in a group for 10 years for the Wednesday trivia lamented having been a few weeks ago and found ‘cash preferred’ signs on the bar, and the regular, former gourmet menu gone, replaced with white bread toasted sandwiches.
“The writing was on the wall,” said the disappointed patron.
PubTIC has been unable to contact the pub. Its future at this point is unknown.
