New era for Diggers Rest as developers plan to breathe life into gold rush hotel

THE last time Pat Deveny had a shave, it was one crazy night back in 1983 at the Diggers Rest Hotel. But he is numbered among the longtime locals who have welcomed a plan to restore the building to its former glory.

THE last time Pat Deveny had a shave, it was one crazy night back in 1983 at the Diggers Rest Hotel.

The place was packed, as he recalls, and the revellers drank and cackled when he lost a bet over the footy and was forced to go under the razor.

HOTEL SAVED FROM DEMOLITION

$30M REBUILD FOR DIGGERS REST PUB

It was just one of hundreds of stories that played out between the old stone walls before the grand, old gold rush hotel was burnt to the ground a decade ago.

Mr Deveny has missed those days ever since.

But he is numbered among the longtime locals who have welcomed a plan to restore the building to its former glory.

Pat Devon in the Diggers Rest pub. Pictures: Rob Leeson

The Diggers Rest Pub is to be rebuilt.

Developers have revealed a bold $30 million redevelopment that will include boutique accommodation, a public bar and restaurant, distillery and function space.

Of course, Mr Deveny would be just as content with a bar stool and a beer.

A petrol tanker driver, Mr Deveny said he arrived home one night in 2008 to see the pub burning and the place hadn’t quite been the same.

“I think a lot of locals have really missed it,’’ the 64-year-old said. “It left a bit of a hole in the community. It was always a great place to have a beer and a bet. The closest pub we’ve got now is in Sunbury or Bulla.’’

Historian David O’Connor said the building was one of the last surviving examples of the hotels built between townships at the height of the Victorian gold rush.

“Many consider the burnt-out remains to be nothing more than an eyesore, while others view it as something of a bygone era and a reminder of yesteryear,” he said.

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