Years between drinks, Bungendore's historic 'top pub' to reopen its doors

"This was the first pub I had a beer in when I arrived in Bungendore back in 2005; I can't wait to open the taps and have another," Richard Harry said as the last of the electric wiring was crimped and the finishing touches placed on his newest business venture in the thriving country town east of Canberra.

The former Wallaby, who is the licencee for the Lake George Hotel a block down the the road in Gibraltar St, settled on the 140-year-old Royal on March 2020 with plans to "open for 9 to 12 months, then renovate".

But then a week later came the COVID lockdown.

"So rather than stuff around, we thought we'll just close the doors now and start the reno," he said.

Little did they know at that time what a huge financial undertaking that would prove to be.

"As we started pulling up the floorboards, all the supporting timber was rotten and water damaged underneath because the drainage was wrong; all the pipes ran uphill," he said.

"Things were either rotten, busted or broken; it was a bloody disaster. In some places we were were down to bare earth and start again.

"One day we were standing in one part of the pub and we heard a thump from another room and we found part of the ceiling had fallen in.

"But the intention was always that if we were going to do this, we would do it right. So we kept whatever we could and replaced the rest."

As old builders like to say, the historic pub "had good bones"; 600mm thick walls, some sandstone and some brick, ornate pressed tin ceilings upstairs and beautiful feature timbers throughout, the sandstone steeped in history from the bushranger days and when the mail coach stopped en route from Sydney to Cooma.

For a short time in the 1880s, Bungendore had two "Royals", one of which was a 16-room establishment on the adjacent Turallo Terrace, and owned by John McMahon. The quirky Irishman then built the new pub - anticipating brisk trade when the new rail line was built through Bungendore - and transferred the licence over, naming it Mac's Royal Hotel.

McMahon must have been a pretentious chap given he had multiple busts made of his head which he stuck up on the outside of the pub's exterior walls, upstairs and downstairs. Perhaps it was his own private joke.

Either way, McMahon's wall busts, originally painted in gold but now a less gaudy dark brown, are still there now, gazing solemnly down on the drinkers.

"We've kept all that quirky stuff on the facade; it's part of the character of the place," Mr Harry said.

Bungendore locals only know them as the "top pub" and the "bottom pub", and Richard Harry aims to ensure the two hotels preserve their different characters. Down the road, the Lake George has its own sports-type bar and through the doors, a large "semi-posh" bistro-dining area with a huge fireplace.

The Royal, he says, will be more of a "worker's pub" where "you can come in off the tools at the end of the day and feel like you belong".

"We didn't want it to be pretentious in any way, lots of character, and just a nice place to settle in for a few beers and a feed," he said.

For meals it will serve "old-fashioned, budget-conscious pub food" like toasties, potato gems, hamburgers and crumbed steak.

Step through the hollowed-out interior and one of the stunning internal features is the preserved brick facade of the former publican's residence, with windows and external wooden door. Ironically, it's now the men's and ladies toilets.

Hydronic heating underneath wards off the winter chills while during the coming summer, huge sliding glass panel doors provide open access the tree-shaded rear.

And in a slightly self-indulgent homage to Richard Harry's former on-field career capped as a World Cup-winning Wallaby, the Royal even has a Rugby Room for private functions.

"I might put up some of my old [rugby] stuff," he said.

"But what's more important for the locals is their memorabilia because this pub is where the mighty Bungendore Mudchooks were first formed."