A Fond Farewell To The West Thebarton Hotel

The West Thebarton Hotel sits at the top of South Road in Thebarton. It has long been a mainstay of the South Australian cultural milieu - it has enjoyed more than a century of pulling pints and shredding guitars. The pub, first erected in the 1880s, was awarded heritage status in the 1990s, but is now fated for demolition.

The iconic venue is set to be cleared due to the River Torrens to Darlington Project (worth an estimated $15.4 billion) - reported to be South Australia’s “biggest-ever” infrastructure project.

This hefty project refers to the construction of two separate tunnels – the Southern Tunnels and the Northern Tunnels. These tunnels are set to be connected by an open motorway. The hope of the project is to acutely minimise traffic.

According to the project’s website, the River Torrens to Darlington Project “is the final 10.5km section of the North-South Corridor, and will complete 78 kilometres of non-stop, traffic light-free motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.”

In response to a request to comment, the organisation behind the project have said to The Music, “The $15.4 billion River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project will deliver a wide range of social, economic, environmental and safety benefits, not only for Adelaide but for all of South Australia.

“Once finished, the T2D Project will allow motorists to avoid 21 existing sets of traffic lights between the River Torrens and Darlington and will complete the non-stop 78-kilometre North-South Corridor between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.

“The Department for Infrastructure and Transport is committed to working sensitively with all property owners and tenants impacted by land acquisition.”

Though traffic will surely be reduced, it comes at the loss of this legendary venue. The pub had historically placed a strong emphasis on supporting local emerging musicians.

Matt Hayward, from Adelaide-based four-piece Street Legal, sees the demolition of The West Thebarton Hotel as a major loss.

“The closure of any live music venue in Adelaide is a huge blow to the local scene,” he says.
“It means fewer opportunities for artists to grow their audience, more competition for the remaining venues, and makes it even harder for emerging acts to get a foot in the door.

“It also impacts promoters, booking agents, and surrounding businesses while stripping away part of the city’s cultural identity. Fewer venues mean fewer touring opportunities, less diversity in the scene, and fewer spaces for musicians to connect and collaborate.

“If we want to keep live music thriving, we need to back the venues we still have and push for better support.”

Another local musician - who requested to remain anonymous - has a slightly more pragmatic take.

“I had never attended or played a gig at the West Thebarton nor seen one advertised. While in principle, I am against a business that featured live music closing, I did not see this one in particular as a venue crucial to the development of interesting original local music, such as the nearby Wheatsheaf Hotel, which is a pillar of the local music scene and critical to the ongoing careers of numerous Adelaide based artists.

“It is not my intention to be glib or ignorant of some service to the community the West Thebarton provided, but this is my honest take - that there are several other institutions much more worthy of our attention and support: the Grace Emily, the Metropolitan Hotel, the aforementioned Wheatsheaf, Lowlife Basement Bar, etc.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Adelaide Guitar Festival (@adlguitarfest)

Despite this artist’s clear lack of sentimentality, they make a valid point: now more than ever, it is crucial that we aim to support the other local musical institutions that are available to us.

In an interview with The Advertiser, hotel owner Arthur Balayannis said of the closure, “It's beyond our control, and of course we're disappointed.”

The West Thebarton Hotel’s final trading day took place on Monday, March 10th.

The pub’s official termination comes in the wake of the Crown & Anchor’s notorious temporary closure. Suffice it to say, it seems to be a precarious time to be a music venue in South Australia.