FROM LEFT:
Following a Merivale
renovation the Coogee
Pavilion is teeming with
Sydneysiders on the
weekend; Enmore’s
Queens Hotel now houses
the surprising finds of
Zebra Bar and Queen
Chow restaurant.
OPPOSITE (from
left): Willie, a former
pace-horse, has become a
regular patron at the
historic Grand Hotel in
Kookynie; Perfect for an
al fresco lunch: The
Boathouse Hotel Patonga;
Tenterfield’s Commercial
Boutique Hotel is an Art
Deco classic.It’s not about pretty pubs – “that would be condescending”, says
Mullins – it’s about sensitive design and improving the food and
beverage offering. And it’s about toilets that don’t trigger the gag reflex.
These considerations can be seen in the group’s latest revamp, too.
Launched last year, the five-level Hotel Esplanade, affectionately
known as the Espy, in St Kilda boasts 12 bars, two kitchens and even
a podcast studio. “You can’t just roll out the same ideas,” Mullins says.
They were also determined to do the hotel’s celebrated music history
justice, which is why the Gershwin room and its hallowed stage survived
virtually untouched.
The colourful history and tradition of Australia’s pub scene
deserves preservation so this type of affectionate nod is important.
Interior designer Bianca Isgro, who cut her teeth on heritage pub
refurbishments in Sydney including The Bank Hotel (Newtown),
The Golden Sheaf (Double Bay), and Public House Petersham, says
celebrating this character is her modus operandi.
“I suffer from nostalgia, so designing within a heritage pub is a dream
for me. The layers of history, the stories, the conversations, the fights,
the romance; they’re never perfect or beautiful spaces, there’s a bit of
grit and stick.
“I think whatever you do in a pub should authentically reflect the
community within which it sits. I am much more inspired by the old
relics than anything new. They’re usually so wrong, they’re right.”
Although in smaller numbers than in days gone by, those old
relics can still be found scattered across the country. The simple fact
they’re still trading is part of the appeal, and many clever operators turn
nostalgia and idiosyncrasy into a selling point.
Take the Grand Hotel in Kookynie, about 790 kilometres north-
east of Perth, where a horse, quite literally, walks into a bar. Willie, a
former pace-horse, has become a regular patron at the historic Grand,
which also serves as Kookynie’s post office and general store.
Or the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna, a remote town in South
Australia’s Flinders Ranges. With a population of just seven, there
aren’t many locals to keep the Prairie heaving, but tourists are drawn
to the warm hospitality and the famous Feral Mixed Grill, a roadkill
fry-up including kangaroo, camel and emu.
But perhaps Australia’s most renowned country alehouse is the
Birdsville Hotel, located deep in the harsh Queensland outback.
The 1884-built pub emerges from the Simpson Desert like a mirage,
but the cultural icon is no illusion and an ice-cold beer in the front bar
will soon confirm as much.
“We all know that we’re part of something very special here,” says
manager Ben Fullager. “It is such a welcoming watering hole for people.”
In the seaside village of Patonga, on the NSW Central Coast – a
setting about as far removed from the Queensland outback as a
thirsty Aussie could find – The Boathouse Group is attempting to
instil a similar sense of spirit in its newest venue. The Boathouse
Hotel Patonga is an extension of the group’s existing portfolio in both
aesthetics and geography, but a shift from the cafe format synonymous
with the Boathouse name. The Boathouse Group managing director
Andrew Goldsmith says moving the brand into a small, established
community is a delicate challenge.
“We want [The Boathouse] to hopefully, over time, become an
iconic brand associated with the waterside Australian lifestyle, so for
us Patonga was a bit of a no-brainer,” he says. “It’s like those memories
you’ve got growing up in the country or beachside towns; there’s no
kerb, the roads are all flat, there’s one caravan park, one playground, one
cricket oval ... it’s just that quintessential Australian fishing village.
“We aim for all our Boathouse venues to be the heart of their
community. We really want The Boathouse Hotel Patonga to do that
[and] it’s very much at the forefront of our conversations each week.”
Oliver Brown is on Goldsmith’s wavelength, although rather
than bringing The Stag Public House into a new era, his Big Easy PHOTOGRAPHY:ROBERTGRAYPHOTOGRAPHY(HORSE)