Patrons of Austinmer's Headlands Hotel may have downed their last beers at the iconic pub.The hotel was shut down yesterday due to safety concerns over the dilapidated state of the building.The move came five days after the pub was put into external management after the announcement the hotel's owner, Thirroul Property Holdings, had gone into receivership.Taylor Woodings receiver Quentin Olde confirmed the closure yesterday. He described the move as "temporary" but conceded it was too early to say when or even if it would reopen."We made the decision to temporarily close the hotel due to concerns around occupational health and safety and the condition of the building," he said."We have inspected the property with a professional OH&S adviser and made the decision to shut the pub yesterday morning."Mr Olde said the closure was subject to further safety assessments."Reopening of the pub will depend on the outcome of the assessment and whether work needs to be done to make the hotel safe for patrons and staff," he said."There may be safety matters that can be dealt with, there may be ones that can't."Headlands Hotel regular Terry Muir said he could not remember the pub closing in his 45 years of patronage.He described it as a "great shame" but admitted he was not surprised it had failed to meet safety standards."It's deteriorated a lot over the years," he said. "Because they wanted someone to develop it, there was never any money put into the building."Mr Olde said he realised the pub's closure was disappointing for the community but it was the right decision."The receiver is not responsible for the way the hotel has been maintained in the past," he said."We've been put in a position and have had to make a decision accordingly."We're aware the hotel is an important part of the community."If the pub closes permanently, Austinmer will lose its last watering hole after the closure of Austinmer Bowling Club three years ago and Austinmer RSL, which was refurbished as a church in 1994.