Buy a quirky rural pub with a million-dollar turnover

Adrian Ballantyne

First published 03 November 2017, 12:09pm

Rudd’s Pub is famous among tourists.

A country pub immersed in memorabilia and steeped in Australian literary history is on the market – and it could be a goldmine for a savvy buyer.

Rudd’s Pub at Nobby, 40km south of Toowoomba, is renowned among tourists and the grey nomad crowd, courtesy of its quirky decor and pub grub.

Built in the 1890s, it also has following in local folklore as the place where author Arthur Hoey Davis penned the famous Dad and Dave books under the pseudonym “Steele Rudd” – hence the pub’s name.

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But it’s the pub’s business potential that is already sparking interest among potential owner-operators and investors, with its popularity driving a million-dollar annual turnover. And there’s scope for more.

Rudd’s Pub has a history dating back to the late 1800s.

Colliers International agent Mike Turley, who is marketing the property at 45 Tooth St with colleague Troy Anderson, says that with bar areas, a restaurant, function space, four pokies machines, Keno and accommodation, Rudd’s pub has numerous high-performing income streams.

“You’ve got the dining, and I think they serve something like 700 meals a week. The dining alone is just crazy,” Turley says.

The pub’s restaurant serves more than 700 meals each week.

“They’ve got the pub aspect, the pokies and Keno, and then accommodation as well. There’s actually a massive function room out the back, which seats 100. They have a lot of enquiries for 21st birthdays and buck’s parties but they actually knock them back because the current owners are an older couple that are about to retire.”

“So there’s a lot of potential there for someone new coming on board to really crank that up and generate even more income.”

Positioned close to popular tourist attraction the Darling Downs Zoo, and across the road from a caravan park, the pub also has its own accommodation, with two double rooms and a room large enough for a family.

You can spot it from the air.

“There’s not much around apart from the little hamlet of Nobby. It’s a real tourist destination, and they obviously work closely with other surrounding businesses in the region, like the Darling Downs Zoo and various other tourist destinations in that area,” Turley says.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from investors, and a lot of people have the dream of running their own pub. It’s been extremely popular so far, and it’s only the early stages of the campaign.”