Newlyweds Buy 160-Year-Old Wedding Venue They Married In

Most newlyweds return from their honeymoon to unpack suitcases, but Jason and Kyla Romaior came home to buy the 160-year-old hotel where they'd just gotten married.

The couple joked about purchasing the Heritage Tea Rooms in Hervey Range, North Queensland, expecting friends and family to call them crazy. Instead, everyone said the same thing: "You guys should do that."

So they did. Just six months after their July wedding, the 29 and 26-year-old became owners of the former Eureka Hotel, a wooden-slab building constructed in 1865 on the first inland road connecting Townsville's port to gold fields.

The property had sat on the market for four years. The challenges are real: 10-hour lawn mowing sessions, $20,000 annual insurance costs, cyclone risks, and strict heritage regulations that make even simple repairs complicated.

"Tomorrow, a storm could come, and a tree could fall on the tea rooms," Jason said. "We might lose all our money, but that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of eternity."

The building earned state heritage status in 1992 for its rare bush carpentry. It sits on low ironbark stumps fixed with wooden pegs, with no ceiling between diners and the corrugated iron roof, making summers sweltering.

But the Romaiors aren't deterred. They've called on family to help run the cafe and wedding venue, with Kyla's mom immediately saying yes when asked to work with them.

Jason's previous business experience gave him the financial skills needed. The couple has big plans: zip lines, swimming holes, and eventually moving onto the property to raise their family among the kookaburras and kangaroos.

Sunny's Take

Business broker Susan Butler says properties like this take longer to sell because they require buyers who want the lifestyle, not just the business. But she's optimistic about hospitality's future, noting that pandemic pressures and cost-of-living challenges have actually strengthened good operators through smarter pricing and stronger community connections.

The Romaiors understand the risks but see something more valuable than safety: the chance to create something meaningful for their community and future children. Sometimes the best investments aren't just financial.