The state's "best beer garden" is changing hands, leaving another stretch of northern Illawarra coastline without an operational pub until an unidentified new tenant is ready to trade.The licensee of the Scarborough Hotel called last drinks at least 11 days ago, and the 125-year-old building has since been completely stripped of chairs, tables, glasses and kegs.Yesterday, an empty alcopop bottle and a scrunched handful of TAB tickets were the only signs of recent custom and the windows were marked "Hotel closed".The closure has surprised some in the northern suburbs because the pub was outwardly thriving.It regularly drew large numbers of tourists prepared to pay $30 for fish and chips and won prominent acclaim as the Sydney Morning Herald Good Pubs Guide's best beer garden this year.The building is owned by WIN Corporation, whose spokeswoman declined to comment on the closure yesterday.A near-neighbour, Max Fischer, said he was surprised at the sudden nature of the closure but not necessarily that it had occurred."I always got the impression it wasn't doing as well as everybody thought," he said."A lot of cars doesn't necessarily mean the money's rolling in. People eat but I think liquor sales would have been down because they have to drive."It's also been such a lousy summer."The pub's recent operators include publican Phillip Birchall, who remains listed as the venue's official licensee.The Mercury attempted to contact the pair at another business they operate, Bulli Beach Cafe, but calls were not returned.According to Wollongong City Council, no current development applications have been lodged for the Scarborough Hotel premises.It is the third coastal pub in the northern suburbs to close, after the Headlands Hotel at Austinmer was declared dilapidated, boarded up and placed in receivership in June.That followed the closure of the Imperial Hotel in 2003.