Cold, frothy thoughts as Woodside’s pub fires up

THINK cool thoughts. Just imagine taking a bracing dip in the ocean at Woodside’s famous 90 Mile Beach and then leaning back on a crisp, cold frothy in the beer garden at the revived Woodside Beach Hotel…

…well hold that thought, if you can, the old pub’s not due to reopen again until Easter 2022.

But it’s a happy thought that hundreds, likely thousands of people have shared with you after they heard that a consortium of Woodside pub fans had got together to buy the hotel, with a view to getting the beer flowing again after five very dry years.

But it’s going to take a lot of work.

“The response we’ve had has been phenomenal,” said one of the leaders of the project, Clint Hillas, a Melbourne bloke, who after marrying into a local family, has fallen in love with the place.

“If we could get the beer flowing now, we’d have a full house.

“But we’re determined to do it right,” said Clint this week.

“There are a couple of phases to the project, if you like, first we’re gutting the pub and putting in a brand-new bar and fully renovating the place with a new beer garden, new commercial kitchen and new furniture.

“We want it to be a great place to bring your family and friends but also a place that will attract the girls and young blokes as well.

“In phase 2 we want to put four or five accommodation pods out the back, put in an event’s pavilion and a place to host live music and events. You could have a wedding or a celebration out here and we could attract great live music.

“But it’s going to take time, there’s a real shortage of trades around here at the moment,” said Clint.

“We’re out here most days over the summer and we’ve scheduled a few working bees but we’re looking at an Easter opening and maybe a soft opening in the weeks before that just to get everything right.”

The project team and consortium of owners have some good people behind them.

“I’m a qualified builder myself, there are a few other tradesmen around and we’ve got one of Sale’s biggest builders involved.”

Among the others involved in the owners’ group is one of the district’s favourite sons, Western Bulldogs’ Premiership Player, Josh Dunkley.

Josh was up at Woodside during the week, swinging the ceremonial sledgehammer, but he’s pledged to be hands-on as required, although providing the pub and its planned launch at Easter with some free publicity will be just as valuable.

“Josh has been great. He loves the idea of getting the pub open again and we feel it’s the right time,” said Clint.

“There’s been such a positive feeling about it, which is great.”

A ‘Go Fund Me’ page titled “Bringing the Woodside Pub back to life!” has so far raised $24,900 of a $75,000 goal and the pub is also offering the chance for patrons to pre-purchase food and beverage by buying a $500 or $250 vouchers, rated as “great value” by one responder to their Facebook page.

“Every bit helps,” said Clint, noting that the call for funding was a spontaneous initiative that had been an opportunity for more people to engage with the project.

Go online to donate at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bringing-the-woodside-pub-back-to-life

But, it’s a case of hold that thought until the Woodside Beach Hotel reopens around Easter 2022.

It’s sure to be quite a celebration, after all, it’s been a long time between drinks.

And who knows, the beers could keep flowing right through 2022 after the local football club showed such great promise in the North Gippsland Football League, finishing on top of the ladder in 2021 before the pandemic intervened.