Floods, bush-fires, coronavirus and internet cutouts but the Bellbrook Hotel stays on tap

Selling their transport company in Broome after many years throughout the Pilbara they decided a country pub would be their next project.

A search on Gumtree saw them stumble across the Bellbrook Hotel, located in a village almost 5,000 kilometres away.

"We were too young to retire and on our drive through the hills and in the village we fell in love with the place and wanted to move," Mrs Smart told the Argus.

"It was very different to what we're used to, you drive through flat country for hours and hours in the Pilbara compared to the hills of Bellbrook."

That journey some three and a half years ago saw the lease for the Hotel purchased as the rejuvenation process began for the pub known as Slim Dusty's old watering hole.

"The pub was a mess but we saw potential," Mrs Smart said.

"The first thing to do was cleaning, the front was just essentially dirt and cigarette butts - we took around ten loads of rubbish to the tip.

"We received a lot of assistance from locals who helped us get logs and laid grass."

Both Shirley and Daryl had limited experience in the Hotel industry, having only previously run the Broome Fishing Club that served only canned and bottled beer.

They kept a barmaid on from previous management who provided insight into the way things are run and from there they continued to make improvements.

The playground from The Great Northern Hotel Kempsey was purchased to provide a family experience with grass laid outside to let children run around and in 2018 they were nominated for the Best Bush Pub Award.

"The first 12 months we were thriving, the locals were so supportive even though we didn't know anyone," Mrs Smart recounted.

"They were keen to see the pub return to how it used to be."

However, in the past few years almost every challenge has been thrown at the Hotel and the people of Bellbrook.

Drought was the first problem and with the river drying up less tourists were visiting the area.

Despite personal financial troubles for many locals they continued to support the pub during a difficult period.

Then came the bush-fires that turned the area into a ghost town.

"It's just an eerie feeling around town, there are no kids laughing and no one talking. All you hear are the trucks coming in and out with their sirens on," Mrs Smart told the Argus back in November 2019.

While the bush-fires created the problem of less clientele another issue began when there were Telstra outages due to the natural disaster.

"Without the internet all our systems went down, EFTPOS wouldn't work and you couldn't get money out either," Mrs Smart recalled.

"We had to borrow a router from the house next door, sit it on a milk crate out the back with an umbrella over the top to keep the pub going."

During the bush-fires the Hotel offered free bacon and egg rolls for members of the community with supplies at a shortage.

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As usual, locals returned the support.

"Once everything got back to normal, all our patrons came back and were so supportive, people threw their money across the counter," Mrs Smart said.

Then the dreaded coronavirus arrived.

At the pandemic's height, the Hotel was only selling general shop supplies and takeaway alcohol due to restrictions and JobKeeper only became available weeks after the initial shutdown.

The coronavirus restrictions still live on but for the Hotel things have certainly returned to a newer norm.

Just when it was thought that the community had suffered enough disasters, the recent heavy rainfall and landslip at Devil's Nook kept Bellbrook isolated for a week.

"Karen Anderson from the Willawarrin Hotel organised supplies to be delivered throughout the community via helicopter," Mrs Smart explained.

"We couldn't put kegs on the helicopter though with T&S Mechanical helping drag the truck through the river to bring other supplies.

"Bellbrook has become somewhat of a natural disaster area for NSW - we've gone through drought, fires, coronavirus, landslips, floods, no telstra and electricity but we keep going."

Despite all the troubles, the locals supporting locals phrase couldn't be more relevant to the heritage village.

Mrs Smart says it's these people who make the job great.

"The most enjoyable part I find is the challenges that come and the locals," she stated.

"Everyone's got their own personalities and have made us feel welcome.

"Right now we've got locals helping us make new tables and chairs, and it certainly makes things easier."

As for the future, Mrs Smart sees improvements on the way.

"Things can only get better and this village has been through everything," she added.

"We're always looking to improve the Hotel and are hoping to put a beer garden in next to the pub.

"Personally, our family lives in Western Australia so hopefully when we are able to we can go and visit grandchildren we've never met."

The Bellbrook Hotel is located at 10-12, Main St, Bellbrook NSW 2440.