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A mother and son team have turned their back on city life in a hope of revitalising a pub located on the road between Adelaide and Broken Hill.
Key points:
- Yunta is on the Barrier Highway, 197 kilometres from Broken Hill
- The Yunta Hotel is being run by mother and son Diana and Shayne Clark
- Regional South Australia and Far West NSW have seen an increase in domestic tourism during the pandemic
Shayne, 47, and Diana Clark, 67, are the new publicans of the hotel at Yunta – a town on the Barrier Highway, just under 200km from the Silver City.
Yunta is the final fuel stop before New South Wales and its two roadhouses do a roaring trade.
Mr Clark said the hotel had its own appeal and potential.
"We are very comfortable in I guess more rural or outback settings and that's why we thought Yunta would be a great idea," he said.
"As we get to meet more and more of the locals, and those on the local stations, we are really starting to believe we made a very good decision.
"I guess the threat of another country pub closing down, that was motivation enough for me.
Road workers provide handy boost
ABC Broken Hill: Marcus Wilson
)Border restrictions have been tough on business but major roadworks on the Barrier Highway have offered up some unexpected visitors to the town.
Mr Clark said the road workers had kept the hotel's occupancy rate at 80 per cent during their first two months in charge.
"We couldn't have been luckier with the quality of the crews," he said.
"They were really good lads, pretty easy to keep happy, we had to make sure we fed them well and make sure a few refreshments were available after they finished their pretty long days."
"Besides the workers around, we certainly get a few travellers that park up across the road at the caravan park and they might come in for a meal and then they think 'A nice warm bed might be a good idea'."
Banking on domestic travel
Mr Clark was planning for a long stint at Yunta Hotel, believing an ongoing pandemic could work in favour of remote tourist destinations.
"We see the opportunity for people to be exploring Australia domestically and the amount of travel that is likely to happen domestically over the next few years," he said.
ABC Broken Hill: Marcus Wilson
)Mr Clark was the driving force behind the pub project but said it would not be possible without his mum.
"Without her assistance with the accommodation and the kitchen area, it would be much more difficult for me," he said.