The Cowwarr Hotel, Cowwarr, VIC

Anyone from a small country town knows the value of having a local watering hole.

It’s the place that feels like a second home, where the staff know your name along with your coffee order, and notice when you haven’t stopped by for a cold one in over a week.

For the locals of Cowwarr, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, the reopening of the town’s only pub has been warmly welcomed since its closure in August 2025.

Under new owners and managers, Brett and Alison Bould and Belinda at Matt Parr, The Cowwarr Hotel is flourishing once again, with the heritage-protected building given new life while retaining the character and charm it’s devoted locals have always known.

BRETT BOULD, OWNER, THE COWWARR HOTEL

“Belinda’s decorative skill in blending the subtle cow-themed décor with ASH’s quality timber has received numerous compliments and judging by how busy the first four weeks have been, they’ve helped spread the word to “get amongst the heard” at The Cowwarr Hotel.

First established in 1880 as a wooden building, referred to then as The Cricket Club Hotel, the Art Deco-inspired pub standing today dates from around 1930. It has long been a landmark in the middle of town and a cherished gathering place for generations of locals.

Refurbishing a treasured building like this means striking a careful balance between honouring its history while making it work for today’s patrons.

That’s where Australian Oak and IronAsh from the ASH Retail Centre in nearby Heyfield comes in. The locally-manufactured hardwood runs right throughout the refurbished spaces, making its mark around every corner. Under the skilful carpentry of local builders, Bakker Building and excavation, Australian Oak and IronAsh has been installed as internal lining, external batten screening, cladding and architraves in the bathrooms and beer garden, booth seating, tabletops, and arguably the most important inclusion as the brand new bar and display wall.

The warm, consistent tone of the timber ties the bar and dining areas together and flows right through to the outside, creating the exact atmosphere you’d hope for in a local pub.

Community sits at the heart of this renovation. All of the hardwood was sourced just up the road at Australian Sustainable Hardwoods and local trades carried out most of the renovations. The Bould and Parr families have gone a step further, celebrating the local businesses that helped along the way by engraving their logos into many of the bar and dining room tabletops.

It’s a thoughtful gesture that reminds guests, whether local or from afar, that community and local connection will always be at the heart of The Cowwarr Hotel.

And the work isn’t finished yet. Plans are in place to continue the upgrades, starting with improving accessibility, with ramps installed at the entrance this week. Improvements are also slated for the beer garden, where a children’s play area will make the pub a destination not only for parents, but for the little ones in toe. Better undercover facilities, utilising ASH’s MASSLAM product, are also set to improve the outdoor space for use in any weather and for private functions.

Upstairs, the seven bedrooms will eventually reopen as accommodation in a longer-term project for the team, giving visitors passing through the region a welcoming and warm place to rest for the night.

We doubt any of this is news to the locals of Cowwarr, who’ve come out in great support of the pub’s reopening. As is the way when something is worth sharing, word of what the pub has to offer has quickly spread, with visits from keen patrons all the way from Korumburra to Melbourne. It’s well worth the drive.

You might just discover what all the hype is about and fall for the charm of a small country town and its pub, finally pouring again.

Learn more about Australian Oak and IronAsh.

BRETT BOULD, OWNER, THE COWWARR HOTEL

We would like to thank the many locals who generously gave up their time and equipment to help with the renovation. They were keen to get their local pub back open and to see the joy in their faces every day since we opened has been worth all the hard work.”