The infamous Pier Hotel – laying claim to being the “world’s toughest pub” courtesy of its record for the most stabbings in one night – is closing for good, better or worse.
The Pier is in Port Hedland, a Pilbara town around 1,600 kilometres north of Perth populated by hard-working blue-collar miners that is the massive state’s second-largest mining town, exporting about 500 million tonnes of iron ore annually.
Locals say the pub earned its reputation after 86 people – including six barmaids – were stabbed there in one night.
Consolidating this dubious claim to fame into one of ‘the world’s toughest pub’ came when British journalist John Dyson visited the establishment in the 1970s, documenting his experiences in a feature article.
“It’s reckoned to be the roughest and toughest pub in the country,” one pundit told Dyson. “They pack around the bar 50 or 60 deep.
“I’ll give you one bit of free advice: If someone pours beer into your pocket for God’s safe don’t hit the bastard.”
New Zealand-born Lynne Taylor has captained the Pier for the past two decades, and listed it for sale to spend more time with family back home.
Posts to social media announced the pub will be closing, and furthered how they had been “inundated with phone calls, texts, Facebook messages, emails, smoke signals and a homing pigeon” from locals wanting a piece of The Pier as a memento.
In response, Taylor decided to hold a mini auction day on Saturday (6 July), where they will be parting with pieces of Pier – “from our bar mats to our infamous DJ ball … literally EVERYTHING that’s not nailed to the floor!”.
Saturday will also be the final time Taylor opens the doors to the public, telling devotees it is “Your last chance to come and take photos and say goodbye to the place. We look forward to seeing you all then”.
