Pub Crawl: Best pub in the scrub is better than ever

Mr Tanner's fresh ideas are set to benefit not just his patrons but the community as a whole.

"It's coming ahead compared to when I bought it. This place was a dive. I've rewired the whole place, re-fanned, and re-switched the whole place...the dining area has been upgraded, the kitchen," he said.

There are new rustic timber beds in the accommodation upstairs, with new carpeting, air-conditioning and a comfortable common room, as well as a new kitchen, bathrooms and laundry facilities for guests.

Along with the intensive face-lift, Mr Tanner has his eyes set on turning the popular roadside pub into a family-friendly and community-orientated venue.

The five-acre property also offers camping down the back, with two new bars behind the pub currently in the works; Kelly's Inn and the Stockman's Bar.

On March 17, Eton Hotel hosted a Black Dog Rally, with hundreds of motorcyclists turning out.

"When we run the markets (once a month), we can just run that bar ourselves and give them (The Pony Club or RSL) the opportunity to do a sausage sizzle and we'll do the bar. You can buy a beer and walk around the markets and have a look. It will be really cool," Mr Tanner said.

"We'll run the bar and meals and anyone who comes in as a venue holder, they get charged $15/head. We will give back to the Southern Cross for their hospital toy run or to the school here."

Mr Tanner also plans to clear the scrub lining the property's adjacent creek and build a timber viewing deck, where patrons can sit back of an afternoon, enjoy a drink and keep an eye out for one of the creek's inhabitants - platypuses.

Another part of the expansion involves a new grocery store and cafe which has been earmarked for the neighbouring building - broadening the pub's venue and event capabilities.

"We'll take over on April 6. We're going to use the smoker part of it and I can advertise stuff as a venue here. We can do wedding venues...we can put smoked beef and pork or whatever," Mr Tanner said.

"It's also got a full cold room. For big events we're always running out of cold room space.

"I bought a containerised fuel cell so we're going to start selling...diesel...probably 20c cheaper than in town.

"It will be a good thing. You've still got to offer back something to these people. All those little things will add up into a lot."

The Eton Hotel was built in 1866 by the ancestors of former publicans Lance and Kathleen Cameron.

For those who don't wish to stay the night, the pub offers a courtesy bus service home.

And for those wanting to take their party on the road, Mr Tanner has an exciting new addition for patrons on a Saturday night.

"It's a party bus. It's a weapon. It's like nothing this town has ever seen," he said.

"It has a full bar, stripper poles, TVs, surround sound...it's something you'd see in high class Melbourne. She's the bomb.

A new manager, Shana will come on board on March 28 - joining the team which Mr Tanner said he tries to keep as local as possible.

After working as a panel beater and diesel fitter in Alice Springs, to owning his own truck company and mine servicing business in Mackay, Mr Tanner's childhood dream of owning his own pub became a reality when the Eton Hotel hit the market last year.

"I just always wanted a pub.. I remember when I was a little fella, my old man took me into the old Biloela pub and there were these old swinging doors...everyone was having fun, having a laugh and I thought 'I need to get myself one of these, this is the go'," he said.

"It was a lifetime thing. When this came up, I thought 'why not?'.

"I've always been looking. I looked at Dingo Hotel and Kabra. I didn't really want to relocate somewhere to do it. I was based in Mackay...I just said (Eton Hotel) will be for me. And away we go.

"I love it. I enjoy it. It's nearly like you're retired. You've got to work in the bar but who cares."

The rustic old pub, which has a U-shaped bar, where locals sit beneath memorabilia, photos of old patrons and owners, and a swinging fake leg (donated by regular Stuey) over 'legless corner' is a classic old country pub.

"You have to have a venue where you can get away from your normal, everyday life, meet up with friends, converse...I think it de-stresses a lot of people," Mr Tanner said.

"It's hard getting into the pub game. You've got to have bit of larrikin about you to run a pub.

"Old Stuey comes in and drinks 18 schooners a day, he loves the place. I said 'have you been to India?' He said 'nope'. I slid him a schooner and went 'well slip that India'.

"You've got to be able to have a joke with them and take on constructive criticism."

During the summer, the pub is a popular spot for motorcyclists - with a buffet breakfast on offer of a Sunday morning.

Mr Tanner said he plans to expand the pub's menu, with pasta nights, Taco Tuesdays, and 'Wog Wednesday' with Italian food.

"Everyone is up in arms. They say 'you can't say this or that'. The wogs are here. One of the blokes helping me cook on the weekend, his boat is called 'Wog Boy'. He said he thinks it's great. I do too - I like eating Wog food," he said.

While he will be introducing a couple of Pokie machines in the future alongside the pub's TAB and Keno, Mr Tanner said he is more concerned with keeping the social element and 'vibe' of the pub, rather than prioritising gaming.

"I think it takes away a bit of the vibe. Anyone can go to the Shamrock and play the Pokies, but we put on the tunes, get someone doing some acoustic. There's a woman from Chile...she can play the guitar. She gets the kids playing the tambourine. She's really good value...she's just to die for," he said.

"It's funny some of the people you meet (here). An old fella the other day...he was something like 78, driving a prime mover. He was hunched up...he came to the bar and i asked 'how's your day going?'. He said 's***house'.

"I bought him a schooner and I said 'it's on the house'. He then sent his son and his son's mate here and they spent $500. He said 'no-one does that s*** anymore'. I said 'we do here'."

It's that community atmosphere that keeps people coming back.

Regular patron Joe Attard sits at the bar with his brother Matthew.

"I'm a local and I've lived here for 46 years," he said.

"I've been coming here since I was 13. It's always a good, friendly staff and they get a lot of pub crawls."

Mr Tanner has invested hundreds of thousands into beautifying the pub, while keeping the charm and character alive.

"If you are money orientated, you wreck (pubs). With the last CPI rise, we've haven't risen (prices). It's not enforceable but you've got to work out where your profit margins are. Unfortunately the government is the biggest problem we've got. They're hounding anyone who works," he said.

The pub will run a bike show at the end of May, with plans for exhibition runs with Nitro Harley Davidsons.

"We've got the permit to close that road off and have the show out the back," Mr Tanner said.

"We're (also) going to run a swap meet every six months...and I want to do a counter level stage (out the back for bands). It's just endless."