Words by Richard Cornish Images supplied
It’s the oldest weatherboard hotel in the state and it has re-opened with a glamourous new interior and a brand-new menu. The Cumberland Hotel has stood at the corner of Daylesford- Clunes Road and Creswick-Newstead Road in Smeaton, 22 km west of Daylesford, since 1861.
The single-story pub is cloaked in hand-hewn hardwood weatherboards with sprawling bull-nosed verandas abutting the classic Victorian frontier main building. New owners Caleb Consiglio and his husband James bring a wealth of experience in hospitality to the old pub. The interior has authentic navy blue and gold Victorian wallpaper with emerald green, brass and black colourway in the private dining room.
“Smeaton was a rich gold mining town,” says Caleb. It was a place of vast wealth and opulence and we wanted to capture some of the excess of the era.
The pair are also conscious that The Cumberland servers as a social hub and have made the pub an inclusive place with an outdoor beer garden complete with supplied picnic blankets to take some classic bar dishes outside.
A ploughman’s board could kick off some lightly spiced Buffalo popcorn cauliflower, chicken satay skewers and lemon myrtle calamari with a tangy lime aioli made with Phoenix extra virgin olive oil from the grove a few kilometres away. The kitchen is supplied by local providores such as Tonna’s in Daylesford and Daylesford Meat Co. supplying free-range grass-fed beef for the nearly half kilogram chargrilled porterhouse served with creamy mash and oodles of gravy. The pub doors officially opened on October 20th with bookings open now.
THE DETAILS
What: Historic pub with a classic menu
Where: 3504 Creswick-Newstead Rd, Smeaton
When: October 20 and beyond
Why: History and food
More Info: The Cumberland Hotel
We wish to acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
