The publicans behind a historic pub in Victoria's far west awoke to an enormous damage bill after a car smashed through three walls causing "devastating" damage to the building.
Police said the vehicle crashed into the Border Inn Hotel at Apsley, on the Wimmera Highway, 15 kilometres from the South Australian border, just before 6am.
No-one was in the hotel at the time.
Two people fled the scene on foot and are yet to be found.
Sergeant Andrew Northe from Edenhope Police said the car smashed through a number of walls, including a load-bearing wall.
"It's quite devastating to see, especially for the community of Apsley, and the new owners," Sgt Northe said.
"The car appears to have travelled at quite a high speed across the footpath by a kids' playground, across the street, through the hotel, and came to a stop approximately 20 metres inside the hotel."
It is a blow for the new owners of the establishment, who took it over in January, opened it four months ago, and started serving meals two months ago.
"It's not something anyone would expect to happen in a small country community," Sergeant Northe said.
"It's an iconic piece of the Apsley community and to have it happen is devastating."
Big impact
Resident Shannon Beveridge said he was woken up by the bang.
He said he saw another nearby resident who told him a car had gone into the pub.
"That's when we both ran over and called triple-0," he said.
"There's very extensive damage."
While the pub was insured, the damage was a bitter pill to swallow for Apsley and the owners.
"The pub has been shut during COVID, and it was sold earlier this year," he said.
"Shane and Catherine [the owners] have moved here from Melbourne and fit into this community so well.
"Now this news that it will be shut for the foreseeable future is gut-wrenching."
He said the owners had started putting meals on in the past two months.
"We've had people coming from Victoria and South Australia," he said.
"The town has been buzzing.
"It's just absolutely heartbreaking."
Police, firefighters, SES personnel, and a proportion of Apsley's population of 300 people inspected the crash scene on Monday morning.
It is understood efforts to make the building structurally safe continue, and no-one has yet been inside yet to determine just how much damage has been done to the building, parts of which are 170 years old.
Police said that some of the walls contained asbestos.
Mr Beveridge said the car also damaged a fence in the park opposite the pub before impact.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
