Bull and Mouth Hotel: Heritage-listed country pub hits the market for $1.2m
In a town where randoms say “hello” walking down the street, an iconic pub is seeking new hands to move in and pour its beers.
A heritage-listed country Victorian pub with a rare architectural style is seeking new leaseholders to purchase the business for between $1.2 million and $1.3 million, plus stock at valuation.
The Bull and Mouth Hotel has been “restored to its former glory” and sits grandly on a corner block at 119-125 High Street in the gold rush town of Maryborough, just a two-hour drive north-west from Melbourne.
The c1905 building – which actually harks back to 1855 in its first humble iteration – is a notable example of Edwardian baroque architecture, a style considered “not common in country Victoria”, according to Heritage Victoria.
Maryborough, a regional centre known for its friendliness and lifestyle appeal – just an hour from both Bendigo and Ballarat – has a population of nearly 10,000, according to listing agent Kate Ashton of Maryborough Ballarat Real Estate.
Ashton said the Bull and Mouth offers new publicans a chance to make the most of the operation’s diverse revenue streams thanks to long-term leases.
The “thriving business in the heart of Maryborough” was updated over many years by the owners, while the current leaseholders have added a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, a walk-in cool room and a five-line glycol beer system.
There’s the main pub and restaurant – catering to specialist dietary needs from breakfast to dinner – and a place to kip with 12 rooms upstairs, as well as a 150-person function space, a cellar, private conference rooms, an adjacent wine bar, and a private rear courtyard.
“The linens, the decor, it’s just so comfortable. And every room has an en suite bathroom. Nothing has been spared,” said Ashton.
Like most regional pubs, it’s a one-stop shop for the community. It’s a place for family birthday dinners, knock-off drinks, and milestone functions, said Ashton.
“I have every family birthday there. It’s very consistently fantastic,” said Ashton.
Publicans Mick and Jo Reid are moving on after eight years.
After perfecting their hospitality formula in town over many years, the pair are ready to spend more time with family.
“They’ve worked very hard for the last, probably, 30 years in hospitality … they’re staying locally and have kids and grandkids, so it’s about spending time with them,” said Ashton.
The Reids want to ensure a smooth handover and are offering to help the new owners set up, she added.
“And of course the new owners may have other plans and ideas – that’s super. It’s about building and expanding on what is already here,” she added.
The Bull and Mouth is being offered in two parts. The main pub is on a 20-year lease, and the adjacent wine bar is on a separate 10-year lease, both with five-year options.
“It means that they can build the business and do the changes they want to do, and they know that they’ve got that lease in place,” said Ashston.
The pub harks back to c1855, when a nearby gold strike first put the town on the map.
It began as a single-storey stone building and soon “became an important local meeting place and landmark”.
Five decades later, the owner, Thomas Procter, set his sights on a second storey and three shops along the main street, which he commissioned in the year of the town’s jubilee celebrations.
“It was a symbol of faith in Maryborough’s future at a time when Victoria was still recovering from the 1890s depression, and expressed hopes of the town’s future prosperity from deep lead mining, hopes which did not materialise”, according to Heritage Victoria.
The building was designed by Ballarat architect W. E. Gribble and constructed by local builder W. J. Dingle.
“The appointments of the new hotel were the most modern for the period and included piped hot water and a telephone system,” the heritage statement reads.
Though not common regionally, the Edwardian baroque style was widely adopted for public buildings in the early 20th century.
Ashton said Maryborough had everything a person needs and was situated in the world’s largest alluvial gold mining area.
“They’re still finding gold everywhere,” she added.
“Most people move here for the lifestyle because we’ve got everything we need, including a great new hospital, but you’re still not very far from things if you really want to go and explore.
“People walk down the street, and they say ‘hello’. Random people say ‘hello’ to you, and and I think that’s one of the beauties of being in this region, that we’ve still got friendliness.”
