THE Woodside Beach Hotel, ‘The Woody’, is an historic country hotel 28km from Yarram or an easy one hour, 20 drive from Leongatha.
The pub reopened in July 2022 after a major refurbishment. Oh yes, and the beer had stopped flowing there way back in 2016!
So, it’s been a long time between drinks… and eats.
And according to former Sydney chef, Rob Paget, who has made the ultimate sea change from the Harbour City to Woodside Beach, it’s hard to get a table on Sundays in particular.
“Yes, for sure, if you’re coming out on the weekend, especially from now through to Christmas and the summer holidays, it’s best to make a booking,” said Rob, whose just put the finishing touches on a new menu.
Check it out at https://woodsidebeachhotel.com/thepub
“We’re pretty much booked out for Sunday lunches. We’ve been running roast pork, roast lamb and roast beef, the ‘Sunday Roast’, which has been very popular.
“But definitely, come out and have a look, it’s been great.”
Rob says the locals, Gippslanders from Sale, the Lakes and the Latrobe Valley, as well as weekenders and day trippers from Melbourne have visited in good numbers over the past four months and he feels they’re now ready to take on the summer rush.
“We’re expecting it to be busy. It’s just a great destination. We’ll have the beer gardens up and running, we’ve got some music events as well. It’s the ideal place to stop for a cool drink and a great meal on a sunny afternoon or warm evening."
The pub is already getting booked up for Christmas work functions and they're planning a big Christmas Eve get-together for locals and returning family members, which has been a popular tradition at many Gippsland country hotels.
“We’re doing lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday at the moment, but we’ll be stretching that out to seven days over the summer.
“We’re really looking forward to it.”
The Hotel is located in the small rural town of Woodside, famous for its Wildcats football and netball teams, and there’s reminders of some of the town’s greats on the wall, like Alan Lowe, the best Gippsland footballer never to play AFL.
Usually parched and dry by this time of the year, the broad sheep and beef paddocks that stretch from Stradbroke and Giffard West into Woodside are lush and green, with a power of work going on at present to roll up literally thousands of green, plastic silage bales.
And the Woodside Beach Hotel is just the place to wet your whistle after a hard day’s work, a great day’s fishing, or round of golf at the nearby (fantastic) Yarram Golf Course.
In fact, located as it is on the highway/beach road corner, it’s practically irresistible at this time of the year.
And soon, it will be a great place to stay the night as well with accommodation pods on the way.
While the area is known for its farming, fishing, and beach and it’s close to many Gippsland hot spots including Port Albert, the Tarra Bulga National Park, Yarram Artworks Tour, the famous 90 Mile Beach which starts at Woodside Beach and so much more.
The hotel’s new name is derived from the two former names of the old pub, The Woodside Hotel and the Beach Grove Hotel. The Front Bar, known as ‘The Woody’, also ties in to the nickname used to describe the pub…‘I’ll meet you down at The Woody’.
The pub is owned by a group of local investors which include a farmer, a builder, a fisherman and even an AFL Footballer, former Western Bulldogs premiership player, Josh Dunkley, a local product who has been the pub’s ambassador in Melbourne but is now taking its fame to Brisbane!
The smiling faces behind the bar, the bright new look inside, the familiar country feel outside… it’s been great to welcome back to an old icon and it’s there, ready and waiting for others to discover – come on out and give it a try.
