Brad and Belinda Seymour in final stages of reviving shuttered Red Centre boozer, Arltunga Bush Pub

An NT couple who traded in their careers are putting the finishing touches on their East MacDonnell Ranges eco retreat, with its centrepiece to be the reopening of a pub that’s lain dormant for 20-plus years.

Arltunga Bush Pub prior to renovations. Picture: ATDW

An NT couple are putting the finishing touches on their East MacDonnell Ranges eco retreat, with its centrepiece to be the reopening of a pub that’s lain dormant for 20-plus years.

Brad and Belinda Seymour, who met while working in the aviation sector, purchased the old Arltunga Hotel and surrounding grounds, located about 110km east of Alice Springs, in December 2021.

Arltunga, Central Australia’s first gazetted town, established in 1887 after the discovery of gold deposits nearby, is nowadays mostly known for its Arltunga Historical Reserve, but the Seymours told this masthead they wanted that to change with the establishment of their business, Arltunga Bush Pub and Eco Retreat.

Belinda and Brad Seymour, owner of Arltunga Bush Pub & Eco Retreat. Picture: Supplied

After opening the site as a no-frills campground in mid-2022, the couple has spent the intervening years beavering away on a variety of improvements.

Now they are entering the home stretch, with the pub’s renovation 80–90 per cent complete, the glamping and miners’ tents en route, the new pool not far away, and the state-of-the-art 100KW solar system drawing in juice from the cloudless sky.

The centrepiece, however, is the Arltunga Hotel, erected in 1983 and laying dormant now for 20-plus years.

“There’s been so many dramas … but we’re getting there,” Mr Seymour said.

Camping at Arltunga Bush Pub & Eco Retreat. Picture: Supplied

“I was born in Alice Springs and spent some of my youth chasing cattle out in these hills as a young fellow.

“I love the East MacDonnell Ranges and the country around them, it’s a beautiful spot.

Renovations underway earlier in 2024 at the Arltunga Bush Pub, which has been closed for 20-plus years. Picture: Facebook

“We do get tourists but its not as busy as the West MacDonnell, which is a good thing.

“There’s so much history here and it’s beautiful to be a part of that.”

Inside Arltunga Bush Pub (formerly Arltunga Hotel), which will be reborn under the ownership of the Seymours. Picture: Supplied

Belinda, who is from the Top End originally, agreed with her husband that Arltunga’s historical significance was a drawcard for the couple.

“Arltunga needed this,” Mrs Seymour said.

The Arltunga Goldfields. Alice Springs Overland Telegraph Station. NT historical 1900s (Pic: F.J. Gillen - Chronicle 11 Apr 1903 p42)

“We back onto the historical reserve, there’s all this amazing history on our doorstep.

“We just had Parks and Wildlife rangers on-site, one who’s a resident around here, the other two from Alice, and they all agreed the East MacDonnells is really special and unique, unlike anything else in Central Australia.”

Originally published as Brad and Belinda Seymour in final stages of reviving shuttered Red Centre boozer, Arltunga Bush Pub