A surge of interest in regional hospitality by metropolitan-based investors has seen a long list of country pubs change hands in recent months.
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The Star Hotel in Macksville might soon join the list after the local business was put up for sale by the owners a few weeks ago.
At this stage, the old pub is for sale by expression of interest, with a closing date of October 28 at 12pm set, unless sold prior.
Built in 1885, Star Hotel has long been a staple of the Nambucca Valley community.
Read more: Tree changers ponder buying pubs in the bush
With international borders closed, more people have travelled domestically, and real estate agents say this has encouraged investors to also look at what the regions had to offer.
"There's no question about it, especially larger regional centres or tier-one regional cities are really flying ahead in terms of domestic tourism," John Parsons Hotels sales director Reggie Henderson said.
"Your mainstream city hoteliers are coming out into the bush and buying those big hotels, there's even a few new players in the market and regional pub funds have been established to buy up big driven by low interest rates.
"Regional centres are seeing massive growth."
In the Northern Tablelands city of Armidale the Whitebull Hotel sold for $13.25 million, quickly followed by another of the city's pubs, The Royal Hotel, which sold for more than $5 million.
The buyer of the Royal was the Roche Group which holds significant pub, hospitality, and accommodation assets in both the Hunter Valley and Mid-North Coast regions, including the Mercure Hotel and Harrigan's Irish Tavern at Pokolbin, as well as the Hunter Valley Gardens.
The Whitebull was bought by established hotelier Jim Knox, who has also purchased another country pub this month a little further west in Moree.
When the Harrington Hotel sold near Port Macquarie, it was the 10th hotel sale in the active stretch of real estate between Newcastle and the Gold Coast.
The acquisition of the Harrington pub by Hunt Hospitality added it to a portfolio which already included hospitality properties in Port Macquarie, the Hunter Valley, Newcastle and the Central Coast.
Pubs have also been changing hands in the South Australian town of Naracoorte, and in places like Dungog in the Hunter Valley.
The historic Kincraig Hotel in Naracoorte was purchased by a group of owners who had already been responsible for the redevelopment of several other hotels.
In Yass, two iconic hotels were bought by the same investors.
On the south coast of NSW, the Cooee Hotel in St Georges Basin sold for close to $7.75 million, purchased by a Wollongong consortium.
Elsewhere on the south coast, the North Nowra Tavern sold for $13 million to a private equity consortium, Pub Invest, headed by ex-Citigroup banker Damian Kelly.