By Mitchell Clarke
A strong contingent of Gembrook residents gathered at the site of the Ranges Hotel, where the property was passed in at auction at $1,020,000.
Despite the disappointment of no sale, locals are still holding out hope at the prospect of a pub in their town.
Member of the Community Working Group Garry McGough was at the auction and believes the property might be bought by a local.
“There was only a vendors bid so instead it will go to private negotiations with interested parties,” Mr McGough said.
“I hope for it to be sold in the coming week, hopefully to a local buyer, finger’s crossed.”
First National real estate agent Martina McArdle told the Gazette they do not wish to make the reserve price public, claiming there is currently a strong interest in the property.
It’s expected that agents will now continue to liaise with prospective buyers to reach an agreement.
The rumour mill began swirling on Thursday 18 July with reports that a secret deal had been struck and the property had been sold to an unknown buyer.
But Ms McArdle confirmed this was a hoax.
“They must have done it last night (Wednesday 17 July) because I went down and cleared it off this morning,” Ms McArdle said.
“We’re not sure who was behind it, possibly someone who doesn’t want people to turn out or another agent that didn’t get the job.”
Prior to the auction, First National real estate received an offer at the million dollar mark which wasn’t accepted by the vendor, who decided to go to auction.
“Hopefully the site will be developed into another hotel or restaurant,” Ms McArdle said.
“There’s definitely a big void, something isn’t there.”
The Gembrook community has been vocal about what they’d like to see happen to the site, with a rebuilt pub echoing the Ranges Hotel being the ideal outcome.
A recent GoFundMe page created to gain funds to rebuild a pub has received just $320 towards a two million goal.
Anyone interested in purchasing the property should get in touch with Martina McArdle through First National Mulgrave.
