Rumours faces hard truths

MILDURA nightclub Rumours and sister business Secret Garden have both served their last drinks.

The owner of the Langtree Avenue businesses said the market had dropped, pointing to a mixture of low patronage, reduced financial viability, and a lack of industry support.

Chris Bates said clubbing culture is now half as popular as it used to be 20 years ago.

“It’s at the moment survival of the fittest, and how much are you willing to pour in to keep everything alive,” he said.

“Everyone has noticed the downward trend and everyone’s got different ideas for why it maybe has happened.

“Clubs are folding left, right and centre. The days of just having a nightclub with lights and DJ’s is not the answer at the moment.”

Both Secret Garden and Rumours operated under the same license, meaning if one shut, the other would most likely follow.

Mr Bates lamented that closing the Rumours nightclub, known as Dom’s until a rebranding in 2019, was a thing horrible to consider.

“Everyone’s had, whether it’s good or bad, everyone’s got a memory there,” he said.

“All my friends, my social life, everything is related to the venue, so it’s an incredibly hard decision to do.”

He said the business’ recent struggles is a sign of the times – that more young people choose to stay at home, aren’t attracted by the draw of headline DJs, have less spare change to spend, and have little need to go clubbing to engage in the dating scene.

The biggest factor in the drop in patronage, according to Mr Bates, is the cost of living.

“Everyone’s under like a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, the market is tight,” he said.

“You still (as a business owner) have to question no matter how much you love it, how far you’re prepared to go.”

As for what’s next for the venue, Mr Bates gave little away.

“We had a vision for a few years now and would still like to reach that vision,” Mr Bates said.

“This is a chapter, but there’s still a book. At the moment the lease is held.”