Former Boathouse Tavern at Taperoo undergoes incredible $4m transformation
It used to be one of the grungiest pubs on the LeFevre Peninsula but the old Boathouse Tavern has a new name – and it’s undergoing a $4m makeover.
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The former Boathouse Tavern at Taperoo was very much your old-school, run-of-the-mill hotel but the Dean Group have stepped in to give the tired pub a complete overhaul and bring a touch of Palm Springs to the LeFevre Peninsula.
Now known as the Peninsula Hotel, a $4m makeover is taking the dated facility from drab to mid-century fabulous.
Dean Group director Peter Johnson said the aim with the project was to bring something totally unique to the area, which is undergoing a boom thanks to the investment in shipbuilding in nearby Osborne.
“Our aim is to be unlike anything else on the peninsula,” he said.
The Dean Group is also behind other establishments such as the Largs Pier Hotel, the Walkers Arms Hotel, the London Tavern and Macs Hotel in Mount Gambier.
The group took over the former Boathouse Tavern in February last year, just as COVID-19 shutdowns were beginning.
While the Dean Group were able to reopen with an updated bottle shop, gaming room and sports bar once the pandemic shutdowns ended, the rest of the hotel has been undergoing a major overhaul since that time.
A new wine shop has been added to the drive-through bottle shop, which is already opened.
But the real jewel in the crown is set to be unveiled in early June.
A new dining area featuring a range of 1950s/1960s style decor, from breeze blocks to technicolour carpet, will offer pub classics alongside dishes such as beef cheek curry.
The dining area can also be altered to create a stage area for band nights, with capacity for up to 300 people, bringing live music to the area.
Another feature of the new pub is a caravan that has been converted to allow staff to take dining orders in it.
An area to the back of the hotel called the courtyard features a retractable roof, large television screen, booths and old 1950s school bus that patrons can book for small events.
To celebrate next month’s launch, the Peninsula Hotel has collaborated with local brewing legends Big Shed Brewing Co, to create a “Peninsula Proud Hazy Pale”, which will be on tap at the pub.
Stage three of the project will involve creating accommodation at the site, but no timeline has been put on that work as yet.
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