“If you’re a pub person, you love sitting back and looking at it and realising this is a little gem. Having found his “diamond in the rough”, Dryland is focused on giving back to the community and recognises the importance of revitalising country pubs as a means to do so. It’s a no-brainer: if the product is good, the word gets out.” “We’re a bit out of the way so we need to make sure our product is always at a good standard. “I’m not saying you can’t put out a schnitzel, chips and salad and it not be good,” he says. He started with a big emphasis on the dining experience at the inn, but has since pared back the menu, finding it hard to maintain on increasingly busy weekends. He lives with his young family in what was the inn’s original accommodation, fostering a commitment to being a “hands-on publican”. On a cold night, you have all the locals huddling around the fire having a yarn.”ĭryland has worked in pubs since he was 18, growing up in western Sydney. “We’ve kept the original tiling on the bar and fireplaces in every room. “You can gut it and bring all of this modern stuff in … but people love the ‘imagine if walls could talk’ kind of feel,” Dryland says. Inside, a new lick of paint, better lighting and new furniture now complements the existing wood panelling and tartan carpet. ‘You love sitting back and looking at it and realising this is a little gem’: The Sutton Forrest Inn. It is a really immersive experience of connecting the diner to the place,” Byrne says. “You have the theatre of the kitchen, and on the other side you have the view of the Grampians. The hotel is esteemed for its culinary achievements, led by head chef Robin Wickens, and has the largest private collection of wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy in the southern hemisphere. The two are connected by a new stepped pathway flanked by native plants, embracing the owner’s passion for preserving the history of the original site. The building marries the existing 19th-century stone and brick of the bar and bistro on the southern side with a fine dining restaurant, Wickens, on the northern. “It was important to use those elements in a contemporary way and thread them through the new design.” “Dunkeld is a wool farming district and the vernacular architecture structures are woolsheds and beautiful old stone cottages throughout the area,” he says. View of the Grampians from the renovated Royal Mail Hotel.
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