By Antoinette Millienos, Daily Mail Australia
Updated: July 2, 2024 07:21, July 2, 2024 07:31
An Australian pub once dubbed the “world’s toughest” after boasting the highest number of stabbings in a single night has closed.
The Pier Hotel in Port Hedland in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, about 1,627 kilometres north of Perth, closed permanently at the end of June.
It gained a reputation as “the toughest pub in the world” after British journalist John Dyson published an account of his visit to the iconic landmark in London’s Sunday Telegraph in the mid-1970s.
The pub is rumoured to hold the record for the most stabbings in one night, with 86 people injured, including six bartenders.
The venue also attracted visitors with the so-called “skimpy” trend, in which female staff wore revealing clothing while wearing almost nothing at all.
Owner Lynn Taylor explained that after nearly 20 years running the family-run pub, she was retiring and wanted to spend more time in New Zealand with her elderly mother.
“We will remain open until stock runs out and then close for good before the start of the new financial year,” the Facebook post said.
“We have poured our hearts and souls into running The Pier Hotel for nearly 20 years, which has required us to put our personal lives on the back burner.
“Over the past few months, several situations have arisen that have forced our family to reevaluate our priorities.”
The post added that Lynne is now a great-grandmother and is looking forward to spending time with her new family outside the pub.
The Pier Hotel is a cornerstone of the Port Hedland community and has witnessed the area’s transformation from a sleepy coastal town into a bustling industrial hub.
Port Hedland is currently the state’s second largest mining town, exporting around 520 million tonnes of iron ore each year.
The pub’s sordid past, detailed in a 2,000-word article by Dyson, has given the hotel’s notorious reputation more than local legend.
A man from Australia House in London told Dyson: “It’s said to be the roughest, toughest pub in the country. You’ll often see 50 to 60 people packed around the bar.”
“Here’s a piece of free advice: if someone puts a beer in your pocket, never hit them.”
The pub was known for its legendary bar fights, tough patrons and strict attitudes.
“It’s the only pub I’ve been to where I’ve seen so many people leaving in ambulances,” Port Hedland resident Bram Angus told The West Australian.
“As kids, we would get in the car on Friday nights as if we were going to the movies, and we would park across the road or on a rooftop and wait for the movie to start,” said Gloria Agale, a local resident.
In 2011, The Pier Hotel was also featured in a police list of the top 10 most violent pubs and clubs in the state.
The Pier Hotel was built in the 1890s and was one of the first two hotels built in the town.
In 1906 the single-storey corrugated iron pub was remodelled and a further floor added.
During World War II, the hotel served as accommodation for soldiers and officers as the town became a strategic military base.
From the 1950s to the 1960s, Port Hedland has seen a shift to mining, with an influx of workers into the town.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Pier Hotel became an unofficial landmark in town, hosting a variety of unconventional contests, including cockroach races and spaghetti-eating contests.
The mining boom in the second half of the 20th century also encouraged further growth in the area and the pub underwent several refurbishments and upgrades to modern facilities.
Since the early 2000s, the pub has established a rowdy atmosphere and become a home for live entertainment and local DJs.
The Pier Hotel was put up for sale earlier this year and has received a lot of interest from potential buyers, with negotiations expected to close in the next few weeks.
Click here to resize this module