Great pub crawl: Robe’s landmark Caledonian Inn getting overdue makeover

THEY fell in love with Robe’s Caledonian Inn as teenagers and now, years later, the Prest boys have bought the historic landmark and are giving it an overdue makeover.

BIG PLANS: The Caledonian Inn’s new owners, cousins Rick (left) and Geoff Prest with wives Lois and Holly. Pictures: MARK BRAKE

• FOLLOW OUR PUB CRAWL SERIES:

• You won’t get ‘Strezzed’ out at the Lyndhurst Hotel
• Kingoonya Hotel — the most off-the-beaten-track pub
• Overland Corner Hotel served as police station, store and post office

AS teens, brothers Geoff and John Prest and their cousin Rick would visit Robe’s historic Caledonian Inn for a beer before hitting the surf.

So when the 156-year-old Calendonian Inn came up for sale, the trio had to buy it.

From successful ventures in a department store, wholesale milk, carpentry and construction, it was the right time to include owning a pub on their resumes.

“We decided a few months ago that we wanted to do something as a Prest family and start a business together,” Rick said.

“Our families have all worked together at some point in the past, so we thought why would owning a pub be any different?

“It’s actually been a dream of ours for a long time, and the Callie seemed like the right purchase for us … one discussion led to buying the place.

“The Callie is a jewel in the South East and an institution in Robe, it’s as important to us as it is to everyone who walks through the door, so it’s nice we can give the place a facelift.”

Geoff and his wife Holly, Geoff’s brother John, and their cousin Rick and his wife Lois took over management of the Victoria St property on November 9.

Continuing to keep it in the family, Rick and Lois’ daughter Holly and her partner Kenn Campbell are also involved in the business.

The 156-year-old Caledonian Inn at Robe. Picture: Mark Brake

The state heritage-listed Caledonian Inn was built in 1859 by Scotsman, Peter McQueen, who was also the first licensee.

It was the main meeting-place for the townsfolk, pastoralists, teamsters and ships’ crews after they docked at the busy local port.

On a stormy night in 1861, when the “Alma” and the “Livingstone” were wrecked in Guichen Bay, the hotel was deserted as patrons rushed to search for survivors — probably one of the only times during opening hours the pub has been empty.

Poet Adam Lindsay Gordon

In the 1800s the Caledonian Inn was as famous as a horsemen’s hotel, and the renowned rider and poet Adam Lindsay Gordon married the owner’s niece, Maggie Park.

Everyone who goes through the Callie has a story to tell or a memory to share about their time spent drinking in the front bar near the fire or out the back on a warm New Year’s Eve.

It is a feeling the Prests know well and one of the things that drew them to buying the Callie.

“It’s an iconic building of Robe … people in Robe, South Australia, nationally and internationally know the Callie and we want to build on that,” Rick said.

“When you stay upstairs in the accommodation, it’s like stepping back in time — you can tell this place was built in the 1800s.

“The door frames are tiny and you can just imagine what it would have been like when you were a sailor coming in for the night.

“Everyone has history with the place. Lots of people who come through here have grown up in this pub and keep coming back because it’s the Callie.

“It’s Robe’s pub, but it’s the pub for more than just our community.”

The Prests started work on renovations as soon as they took over, including painting the interior and exterior, installing 13 new beer taps, new sound system, revamping the bottle shop and carpeting the upstairs accommodation.

Future plans also include having a semi-covered outdoor beer garden and introducing live music and local art.

Robe is one of the Limestone Coast’s most popular holiday locations.

In the summer the beachside town swells from a population of about 1600 locals to between 15,000 and 20,000.

Holly said the plan was to bring the Callie back to its former glory.

“One of the things we hear the most, from locals and visitors, is how wonderful it is that we’re giving the Callie a facelift, but we’re not losing everything that makes this place special,” she said.

“We have people tell us all the time about how much of an institution this pub is and we don’t want to lose that — it’s Robe’s little jewel.”