Seven Hobart Pubs Close as Cost of Living Reshapes Night-Life Sector

Seven Hobart pubs shut down Monday after the company operating them entered voluntary administration. The operator cited changing consumer behaviour as a factor. The closures mark the most visible sign yet of a shift that venue managers and patrons have seen coming for months.

Dinesh Khadka runs a bar on Salamanca's waterfront. He has watched the transformation from the inside. On some nights his venue is packed – every table full, the dance floor busy. The bartenders are not as stretched as they used to be. "There have been nights where you have absolutely no space on your floor, the dance floor is packed and everyone's having fun," he told the ABC. The crowd arrives later now. Young people order fewer drinks. Wednesday night, traditionally Hobart's "student night", was quiet this week, with a mix of students, tourists and locals scattered across the Salamanca venues.

Patrons pointed to the rising cost of alcohol as the main reason. Jade Jesenkovic said she remembered $2 happy hour pints and cheaper cigarettes. "Going to the pub now is … depressing. Like where are the young people? There are no young people here and that's what's sad," she said. Keegan Richardson described the $15 he paid for a beer as an "absolute bloody rort". University student Jack Muir said pre-drinking at home had become a standard way to avoid the "iffy" prices at pubs. Others mentioned using discount apps to find cheaper meals and drinks. Hobart resident Matthew Bicket said he had to budget more carefully for a $12 or $14 beer. He recalled Salamanca being busy on both Friday and Saturday nights. Now people choose one night. "Now it's sort of one of those nights that's usually pretty big and the other one's pretty dead," he said.