Image: The State Library of South Australia
For more than a century, Morgan’s two pubs have faced off across the street.
Now, under new ownership, that long-running rivalry is being replaced with something far more ambitious: a shared vision to turn both venues into a stronger community hub.
Brad and Janette Perks, who have a 30-year background in regional hotels, have taken over both the Terminus Hotel and the Commercial Hotel, with a plan to keep each venue distinct while making them work together for the good of the town.
On top of the two Morgan venues, Perks Group currently own and run four regional hotels and two regional lifestyle villages as shown below.
“For 140 years, the two hotels in Morgan have gone head to head,” Brad said.
“And there’s always a loser, unfortunately.”
Rather than continue that pattern, the pair saw an opportunity to protect both pubs for the long term.
“If we get both hotels, we want them both to survive for another 40 years.”
Starting with a fast-tracked renovation at the Terminus ahead of Easter. the team, in just three days from taking over, refreshed the dining area with new furniture, new carpet and a stronger food focus designed to appeal to locals, tourists and families alike.
“We’ve employed two external chefs to really upmarket the food, so it’s really good,” Brad said.
The Terminus is being positioned as the family-friendly dining venue, with space for up to 200 patrons across its dining room, beer garden and front area.
The Commercial, meanwhile, is being carved out with its own identity, including a sports and car focused front bar, that was held by the previous republican. The Commercial will keeps its TAB facilities, and a rotating line-up of food vans and more casual offerings.
“So there’s a point of difference, so you get a choice,” Brad said.
That split is key to the new strategy. One side leans into classic pub dining, while the other is becoming a more flexible social space with changing food offerings, barista coffee on weekends, and entertainment-driven experiences.
But the real shift is outside the buildings themselves. Instead of trying to outdo one another, the two pubs are now being programmed to work together, including shared outdoor live entertainment across Easter weekend.
“For the first time ever, I think in the history, we had live entertainment on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but outdoors, so both hotels could enjoy it,” Brad said.
“So all of a sudden we’re not going head to head, we have two fabulous offerings.”
That’s only the start. Brad says the long-term goal is to work with council to close the street between the two venues for festivals, food trucks, markets, car rallies and family-friendly community events.
“We wanna do street parties, we want to do festivals,” he said. “We wanna shut off the street between the two.”
The broader aim is to make Morgan more of a destination and encourage visitors to stay longer, spending more time and money in the town.
“If we can keep people in Morgan for one more day, everyone benefits,” Brad said.
For a town with river views, houseboats, water sports and loyal locals already on its side, the dual-pub revival could end up being about much more than hospitality.
Terminus Hotel
Where: 15 Railway Terrace
For more info, click here.
The Commercial Hotel
Where: 13 Railway Terrace
For more info, click here.
