Announcing the closure on Facebook, owner Hugh Dreher thanked the loyal customers who had helped build a community at the cafe.

“It has been a privilege to make your coffee, breakfast and lunch, be part of your lives and make you smile every day. We pride ourselves on creating a community where everyone is accepted and no one is left alone,” he wrote.

Interestingly, the cafe, in a former hotel, had a trapdoor leading to the old underground Sturt Street, one of the few buildings left with access to the old shopfronts beneath the city.

The hotel was built in 1864, and more recently was fully restored in 2012, with new owners taking over the building.

The business was contacted for comment.