Pilbara investors buy iconic Whim Creek Hotel

After more than two years since a tap was pulled at the famous Whim Creek Hotel, a group of private Karratha investors have bought back the pub for $1.7 million, seemingly with the intention of letting the beer flow once more.

One of the last remnants of the town of Whim Creek, which sits halfway between Roebourne and Port Hedland, the hotel was closed in November 11 and was most recently owned by Venturex Resources.

Venturex was fielding expressions of interest for the possible sale of the hotel in early 2013.

The company now has a binding sale agreement for the hotel, a nearby accommodation village, an associated plant and equipment, as well as the underlying land title to, as yet, unnamed investors.

Venturex managing director Michael Mulroney said selling the hotel and accommodation village to Pilbara-based interests represented a great outcome for all parties involved.

"The sale to private operators provides a great opportunity for continued preservation and development of the historic hotel and its surrounds for the benefit of Pilbara residents and the local tourism industry," he said.

Karratha Visitor Centre general manager Baz Harris was positive about the possibilities the sale held, but said it would take as much money paid to purchase the hotel, to restore the site from its current condition, which he labelled as a disgrace.

"I can't see it working as a hotel and today with drink driving laws, gone are the days when people will drive from Hedland and Karratha to a Sunday session regardless of what's on," he said. "My hope is too see the Whim Creek Hotel set up as an outback restaurant/Pilbara food experience with overnight accommodation.

"From the amount of requests the Karratha Visitor Centre gets for that, I believe it would work well."

A spokesman for Venturex said the site only received minor damage from the most recent cyclone with a few felled trees and fences.