‘Half the pubs are out of action’: Trio of historic hotels suddenly shut in NSW town
Three historic pubs owned by the same publican in New South Wales have suddenly closed, just months after the trio of venues hit the market.
Locals were left blindsided after the Empire Hotel, the Gordon Hotel and the Southern Railway Hotel in Goulburn simultaneously shut down – leaving about 40 staff members without jobs.
The Southern Railway Hotel in Goulburn has shut its doors effective immediately. Facebook
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Locals told nine.com.au that former Olympic boxer and Goulburn Pub Group owner Simon Paterson locked up the pubs on Sunday night, two days before the Melbourne Cup.
Nine.com.au has contacted Paterson for comment.
The closures have slashed the number of pubs still operating in town by 50 per cent. Only three open pubs remain in a town of around 25,000 people.
“Half the pubs in town are now out of action without warning,” Goulburn man Chris Gordon said.
“Now 40 people suddenly don’t have a job. We just lost a lot of jobs at our jail too.
“With three pubs closing together, it adds up.”
Gordon said Paterson’s decision “changed Goulburn instantly”.
“Patrons are now wondering when they will get their pubs back,” he added.
Paterson bought the three 19th-century pubs in April 2025 only to list them again in March, less than a year into the leaseholds.
He snapped up the venues from hotelier Adrian Guest and spent $1.8 million renovating his portfolio of pubs, including refitting the accommodation.
The publican previously owned the Town Tavern in Blacktown in Sydney’s west for 15 years.
“Great news, Vanessa, Ryan, Kai and I have purchased 3 hotels and formed the Goulburn Pub Group,” Paterson announced when he signed the leases.
“Been a challenging 18 months selling our Blacktown pub and now onwards and upwards.”
A Melbourne Cup event at Gordon Hotel was cancelled days before it was due to take place.
However, Paterson was promoting events at the Empire Hotel on Facebook as recently as October 27.
The Facebook and Instagram pages for all three pubs have also been taken down.
Former Olympic boxer and Goulburn Pub Group owner Simon Paterson bought the trio of 19th century pubs in 2025. Pictured: Gordon Hotel Supplied
A Melbourne Cup event at Gordon Hotel was cancelled days before it was due to take place. Google Maps
Some residents only discovered the pubs were no longer pouring pints through a sign posted to the doors.
Goulburn-born Craig Hill told nine.com.au said the closure “will have a big impact” on the community.
He said residents are yet to find out if the pubs may be saved by a buyer.
“I think they’ll get a buyer pretty quickly though,” he said.
“All three of the pubs are historic.
“The Gordon Hotel in particular was a prison officers’ pub... they’ve been around for over 100 years.”
Some residents have taken to social media to ask the community why the pubs have called last drinks.
Paterson snapped up the three venues from hotelier Adrian Guest in April 2025. Pictured: Empire Hotel Facebook
Hill is still without any answers after putting a call-out on Facebook to his local mates.
“Apparently my old watering hole, the Gordon Hotel in Goulburn, closed suddenly today along with two other local pubs owned by the same family (Empire and Southern Railway),” he wrote.
“Does anybody know what’s going on there?”
Regional pubs feel the squeeze
It is a trying time for regional publicans.
Soaring operating expenses, rising power bills, labor and wage costs and a cultural shift in drinking have forced many country pubs to shut down.
The Tullamore Hotel in country NSW is a recent victim of this economic firestorm after the owners were forced to close in June.
The friendly country pub had a kitchen, accommodation and showers for passers-by or truck drivers stopping over in Tullamore. Its closure means visitors may bypass the town altogether.
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King River Brewing, in the King Valley in Victoria, announced on Facebook in July that its taproom would close down effective immediately.
“This wasn’t how we intended to do it, but after a long period of trying absolutely everything we could, it’s the decision we needed to make,” the owners said in a post on social media.
Seven Hobart venues operated by the Pub Banc Group also shut their doors in July, citing rising costs and changing consumer behaviour.
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