Pub reborn in Ballarat East

ABOUT thirty years ago, Meagher’s Hotel closed its doors as a pub.

In the decades that followed, the Victoria Street icon operated as a picture framing gallery, it was a land surveyor’s home, and a boarding house.

Experienced publican Anthony Koop walked past the building many times and wondered why Ballarat East had gone without the pub for so long.

“It eventually got the better of me,” he said. “Two years ago, I bought the lease, and did the place up.”

A month ago, Mr Koop reopened the Meagher’s Hotel’s doors as a pub and the beers began to flow again.

“We had some really big nights in the first couple of weeks, with everyone wanting to come and have a look, and have a drink,” he said. “It took off quickly.

“I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I just want it to be a country pub that’s warm and comfortable.

“People can sit at the bar, there’s good beer, and ultimately good food. The kitchen and dining room will open later in the year.”

Mr Koop said he has been as sympathetic as he could to the Meagher’s Hotel’s original set-up, and feedback from patrons has been positive.

“The bar’s the same shape, and I’ve used parts of the old bar, like the brass inlay all around the bottom,” he said. “The timber, front and back, is from the old bar.

“I want people to just come in and sit at the bar like we always used to, which you can’t at a lot of pubs now.”

Mr Koop formerly ran the Brown Hill Hotel and the Eureka Stockade Hotel.

His career in hospitality began in 1983, and he has also operated various bars around Melbourne, including at the St Kilda Football Club for four seasons.

“I like pubs, I like the work, and I like the people,” he said.

The Meagher’s Hotel has a pool table, and Mr Koop plans to offer a TAB service.