The current Aussie Hotel proprietor Paul Tsorbaris with his “right-hand man” Chris Reisner.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
For more than a decade, Paul Tsorbaris has been at his post at The Aussie every single day.
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He and his wife, Debbie, bought the iconic Shepparton hotel 12 and a half years ago; before its popular sports bar, Jack’s Bar, existed, before the Outback Bar was a thing.
They’d come from building up and running The Peppermill Inn in Kialla previously, and other hotels in other locations before that.
In fact, Mr Tsorbaris has been working in the industry since he was 15 years old.
Now, after 47 years, he’s “ready” to rest.
“I’m going to try to retire,” the veteran publican said, mentioning that this coming Christmas would be his first Christmas at home in as long as he could remember.
Selling the popular restaurant and nightspot wasn’t intentional, but an attractive offer made it hard to refuse.
“This place has never been for sale,” Mr Tsorbaris said.
“Many offers have been made over the years, but this one was the right fit.”
The Tsorbaris’ last hurrah will be this weekend, on what’s been the biggest event of the year in the hotel’s history, the annual Carols by Barrels weekend.
Then, on Monday, the new proprietors will take over.
Jack’s Bar was a storeroom when Paul and Debbie Tsorbaris bought The Aussie hotel more than 12 years ago. Now it is a popular sports bar. Pictured are Paul Tsorbaris (right) and Aussie employee Chris Reisner.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Mr Tsorbaris said he expected the transition would barely be noticeable to patrons, as he did not expect any drastic changes to operation.
While things might not change much for punters, the transformation to Mr and Mrs Tsorbaris’ lives will be enormous.
Mr Tsorbaris said stepping away from the bar would take some getting used to, but that it would be nice to spend winters at their Gold Coast home with family nearby.
What he won’t miss about the hospitality industry is those long days and late nights through weeks that were never broken by weekends, nor the challenges and red tape as licensing laws and other regulations tightened over the years.
What he will miss are the humans he connected with from all walks of life; his patrons, his staff, his business associates.
“I just want to thank the people of Shepparton for always supporting us,” he said.
“We are just so grateful to Shepparton for helping us make The Aussie what it is today.”
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