By Tuesday, the hotel was up and running again under new management.

The hotel, located at the eastern end of Oberon Street, has attracted it's fair share of controversy over the years, notably in relation to the presence of topless bar maids on certain nights, but also in terms of the seemingly constant handovers to new licencees and proprietors.

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Owner Paul McGirr, who is based in Sydney but owns a number of country hotels, said that the future of pubs in Oberon could be doubtful, and the frequent changes at his establishment is proof.

"Oberon is at risk of becoming a one pub town," Mr McGirr said.

"We are trying to improve our bottle shop sales and increase revenue in the pub," he said.

"I've been told that around 40 per cent of liquor purchases made by Oberon residents are not made in Oberon."

Should the Tourist Hotel ever close it's doors for good, it would leave the town with only four possible options for local drinkers – the Royal Hotel, the RSL Club, the Leagues Club, and the Golf Club.

The presence of larger towns nearby such as Bathurst and Lithgow means many locals spend more money drinking in the larger pubs in those towns, especially over weekends.

One of Mr McGirr's first steps in trying to increase revenue and improve trade at the Tourist will be to abolish the topless barmaids who have brought so much controversy to the establishment in recent times.

"We're scrapping the topless barmaids," he said.

"In all the hotels I've been involved with, I've never had a tenant that put on topless barmaids and managed to make it successful," he said.

Being based in Sydney, many people would understandably question the motives and advantages of continually operating and trying to improve the hotel, however Mr McGirr has a better reason than most for wanting his business to succeed.

"The pub has been in the family for a very long time," he said.