Historic country pub in Stuart Town, Ironbark Inn Hotel for sale

Now, the Stuart Town publicans are selling their beloved local, the Ironbark Inn Hotel, in the hope that someone passionate will take it on and continue its legacy.

It is a rare opportunity to purchase the 1888 pub in the town made famous by Banjo Patterson - and locals say it could be sitting on gold.

"We took over when we first came out of COVID and we never thought we would own a pub as such, and there was no interest really, but that's all we had left out there. So hence we have a pub," Ms Wykes told the Daily Liberal.

"So we're into our third year, it's trading well, but we'd like to just be able to focus on our own careers."

Ms Wykes is a teacher and Mr McNaughton is a shift worker and the duo hope the pub goes to someone who is a "people person".

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"We may be a little selective in who we sell to, but we want someone who's going to come into the hotel and be there long term, and that really wants to be part of the community," Ms Wykes said.

The Ironbark is the only pub left in the gold rush suburb. Stuart Town was called Ironbark back in the day and the hotel is steeped in local - and Australian - history.

Elizabeth Jessie Hickman, known as The Lady Bushranger, spent time there, and Banjo Patterson wrote his famous poem The Man From Ironbark about the town.

The Ironbark Inn Hotel has traded since it was built and structurally the building is a lot like it was back in the 1880s. The current owners have upgraded the kitchen, the beer garden and the accommodation upstairs.

Customers can sit on the verandah upstairs and look out over the town and its many ironbark trees.

Stuart Town has a rich history in gold mining and people are apparently still finding gold there. Locals say there might even be gold underneath the Ironbark Inn Hotel.

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"If you listen to everyone, they tell me that's where the gold is because it would have fallen down through the cracks in floors and things like that or even just washed under the pub," Ms Wykes said.

The community hosts an annual Multicultural Festival and Man From Ironbark Festival.

Ms Wykes said the best thing about owning the Ironbark Inn Hotel had been "the opportunity to give back a little bit" and turn the pub into "a viable business".

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