Liquor & Gaming NSW concierge visits 15 Southern Tablelands venues

Liquor & Gaming NSW's Hospitality Concierge visited 15 venues across the Southern Tablelands over three days, covering 762 kilometres, the regulator said in a departmental release. The team worked with hospitality operators and industry stakeholders in Sutton Forest, Marulan, Yass, Binalong, Murrumbateman and Bungendore.

The release states that operators received guidance on licensing, compliance, live entertainment and training, including the Responsible Conduct of Gambling. Representatives from Yass Valley Council and local tourism stakeholders also met the team, with talks covering community events, festivals and ways to bolster the local economy.

Several historic venues featured among the visit's highlights, according to the release. They include the Lake George Hotel in Bungendore, which dates to 1838 and is described as believed to be one of Australia's oldest continuously licensed hotels, along with the Terminus Hotel in Marulan, established in 1868, and the Sutton Forrest Inn, established in 1938.

Melanie Brown, Liquor & Gaming NSW Director Regulatory Excellence, explained that venues in regional and remote areas are important for local communities, tourism and economic activity. In her view, sitting down with operators in person lets the regulator grasp the difficulties particular to each area, respond to their queries, and offer useful guidance covering licensing, compliance and business opportunities.

Brown described the chance to see some of the area's oldest venues as an honour, observing that numerous such establishments have served residents and travellers across many generations. The Hospitality Concierge, the release explains, operates as a no-cost single point of contact for licensed hospitality businesses throughout the state, assisting them with licensing and compliance matters and with possibilities offered by NSW Government programs.