PHOTO: Still pouring pints in lingerie — Is this outback Aussie pub tradition outdated or defiant? ABC
📍 Location: Kalgoorlie, Katanning & WA Mining Towns
📆 Since: 1970s | 📉 Reputation: Controversial | 🏚️ Real Estate Value: Culturally stuck in the past?
🧯 A Real Estate Relic or Regional Icon?
In a country where hospitality and heritage pubs have modernised, some Australian outback pubs are seemingly stuck in a bygone era — one dominated by “skimpies”, lingerie-wearing barmaids serving beers and banter to predominantly male patrons.
These pubs are built on old-school foundations — literally and figuratively — and it’s raising eyebrows in the #MeToo era.
Could these establishments now be more liability than landmark in the evolving landscape of rural commercial property?
🎭 The ‘Skimpy’ Tradition: Nostalgia or Nuisance?
The “skimpy” pub culture first appeared in the 1970s and has since become a part of the mining town identity — from Kalgoorlie to Katanning.
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👙 Barmaids in bras
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💬 Paid to flirt and pour
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🛑 Often criticised as outdated and sexist
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💸 Still attracting loyal local foot traffic
But in a post-#MeToo world, critics argue it’s time for these pubs — and their real estate stakeholders — to evolve. Photographer M Ellen Burns’ book Skimpies captured both the empowerment and exploitation that exists within this dusty slice of Australiana.
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🧱 Real Estate Angle: Pub Properties in a Time Warp?
🏚️ Commercial value vs. cultural cost — these old mining town hotels may be worth millions on paper but come with reputational baggage.
☑️ Located on prime corner blocks
☑️ Often heritage-listed structures
☑️ Seen as ‘boys club holdouts’
☑️ Challenging to market to modern buyers or developers
🔍 Public Sentiment: Is This Still Acceptable?
In the ABC’s 2023 doco-style report, local patrons defended the pubs as part of their culture. But for many, it sparked this question:
“How is this still a thing in 2025?”
While patrons argue skimpies are consenting adults and entertainers, others say it reinforces toxic masculinity and workplace harassment norms — both PR and legal nightmares for owners and investors.
🔮 The Future of Skimpy Pubs: Change or Close?
With increasing pressure from:
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👩⚖️ Gender equity advocates
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🏛️ Regulatory watchdogs
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💼 Hospitality chains
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🏗️ Developers seeking to modernise
…it’s becoming clear these pubs will either evolve into modern hospitality venues or risk becoming unsellable real estate relics.