Tom and Emily Hancock always wanted to ensure the Collie Hotel wasn’t just food and drinks, they wanted to make a fun entertainment venue and destination for families.

Mission accomplished, the Hancocks say it's now time to move on.

‘’We have been here for ten years and we never expected our big social media campaign to be so successful but it brought travellers from all over Australia we’ve had fun," Mr Hancock said.

It was put on the market and not long later after it was offered the hotel was snapped up.

Hugo Weston from Savills, who acted as agent, said it was an exceptional investment opportunity as a highly regarded freehold pub and hotel.

"As the only pub in Collie, this thriving venue serves as the town’s primary destination for food, beverages, accommodation, and events, attracting locals and tourists alike travelling through the region."

Located between Gilgandra and Warren it became a destination for fun.

In the 1800’s it was a half way house for travellers, one of the original mud-huts, and established as a pub in 1901.

"The Collie Hotel attracted clientele from across the country, hosting popular events such as rodeos, car shows, and live music concerts," Mr Weston said.

“Positioned as the local watering hole for the region’s large cotton farms and cattle stations, and with no direct competitors, this asset has thrived on its loyal clientele for many years.’’

Tom Hancock said some of his creative social media was talk of the town but he and his wife want to relax with their kids.

‘’The social media impressed people and events like the Kingswood Day brought a lot of people to visit us as a tourist destination.

"But its time to take the kids to soccer and watch them and enjoy their lives with them.’’

The hotel holds untapped development potential, spanning 4,295 square metres, with land available to expand the accommodation offering and capitalise on high demand from contractors, truck drivers, and tourists.

Hugo Weston says the new owners have settled in and while price is not disclosed but it was on offer at above $1.7million.

“The consistent growth, paired with the planned infrastructure developments in the area, positions this asset as an exceptional investment with significant potential for further expansion,” he said.

‘’The future of this area is strong and we expect more sales of quality hotels in the near term around the region .’’

A Cobar classic

Meanwhile Cobar’s famous Empire Hotel is also under new ownership.

Andrew Barnden of Rodgers Reidy, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group announced the successful sale and settlement.

"The Hotel was sold via an on-market process which garnered interest from an array of hospitality and commercial investors," he said.

"The venue was ultimately purchased by an experienced hotel operator citing the potential of the bottle-shop as the predominant drawcard for the acquisition.’’

As well as in-house food and beverage sales the hotel enjoys the benefit of having the only drive-through bottle shop within Cobar which proved an attractive proposition.

The hotel is positioned on a large landholding of 3,127 square metres and incorporates a labour-efficient single bar operation.

The hotel also has the added benefit of operating with a highly sought, late trading 2am licence.

It was purchased by the New England Pub Company for a price not disclosed.

Ben Ryan and Mark Neilson own the New England Hotel Armidale and are ready to embrace the Cobar opportunity.

''It’s a great vibe out here and we are making changes to spruce the place up a bit,'' Mr Ryan said.

Empire Hotel circa 1949. IMAGE: Noel Butlin Archives Centre, ANU

The pair are not strangers to the hospitality industry having operated various venues in regional NSW and Queensland alike.

The Imperial’s history dates back to 1869 and is said to have been constructed by Cobar's first mayor Hopkin Lewis.

It was partly destroyed by fire in the 1920’s and was once struck by a cyclone but now it’s a thriving pub in Cobar’s main street.