Persistence Pays Off For Outback Hotel

Hotel SA caught up with Shane Swinton from the William Creek Hotel, which won the AHA|SA’s early bird membership renewal prize, worth $7,000.

The fortunes of few Australian pubs fluctuate with the seasons more than the William Creek Hotel.

More than 800km north of Adelaide and a three hour drive due east of Coober Pedy, William Creek is one of the world’s most remote watering holes.

It proudly trumpets it is in the middle of nowhere, on the way to somewhere.

That somewhere is often Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre - but many adventurers are simply there to drive the iconic 617 kms of the unsealed Oodnadatta Track.

Both have served as the lifebloods of the hotel since The Ghan became a diesel train and was redirected through the interior in 1980.

That decision alone should have condemned William Creek to the history books.

But this is a town that refuses to stop breathing.

It appears very much on life support during the height of summer when the mercury tickles past 50°C and the hotel’s staff – indeed the entire town’s population –shrinks to just two or three people.

But in winter, or during one of the town’s several big events on the calendar, its business might well be the envy of many a pub in the big smoke.

“Were very much like a ski business. The middle of winter is our busiest time,” said the hotel’s general manager, Shane Swinton.

“Our kitchen can pump out in excess of 500 meals a a day and three dinner rotations to ensure the weary travelers get fed.

Our turnover fluctuates substantially over the four seasons of the year.

The business stays open over summer acting as an essential service to the travelers and local stations.

Shane, who travels from Adelaide to William Creek several times a year, calls himself a ‘remote publican’. and has the support of couple Taylor and Sam who manage the day to day runnings of the business.

He is the business partner of the hotel’s owner, Trevor Wright, one of the Outback’s most likable and well known characters, a lifelong pilot and firsttime publican.

He was referred to Shane, who is also a mortgage broker and in turned helped turn Trevor’s long term vision into a reality, buying the hotel in 2012 and the township of William Creek.

“When we first met, Trevor owned one plane and one house and now he owns the whole of William Creek and a fleet of aircraft.”

Now in his late 60s, Trevor runs the pub in tandem with Wrightsair which offers tourists flights over the great lake, Kati-Thanda, Anna Creek Painted Hills, the channel country and other local points of interest.

“Trevor’s an outback icon.

“He’s been out in that part of the world for 30-odd years.

“What he doesn’t know about aviation isn’t worth knowing.

In busy times, like AFL grand final weekend we run an event called the William Creek Fly-in when more than 200 people fly in to watch the game on a big screen and dance to live music.

Staffing can exceed in excess of 15 hospitalityworkers and 15 young pilots.

The pub’s caravan park offers in excess of 50 types of accommodation rooms including new Glamping tents and both ensuited and non ensuited cabins and these will fill for the annual William Creek Gymkhana and Motokhana, and the Bronco Branding.

“It’s an incredible part of the world.

“The people you meet out there are mostly on holidays.

“Every day is like Groundhog Day – you keep meeting amazing people from all walks of life who are passionate to explore outback Australia.

They come from afar for any number of reasons – the lake, the birds, photography, stargazing and the tranquility. We also get scientists who travel internationally to view the night sky around William Creek and in their view we have one of the best, and cleanest light skies in Australia, and the world."

PRIZE WINNER

But the wear and tear on the property demands constant maintenance and its own full-time handyman.

“We’re a very good customer of Bunnings!” Shane said.

So it was with no concealed amount of delight that the William Creek Hotel accepted the $7000 prize after winning the AHA|SA’s early bird membership renewal prize.

“I’ve been trying to pay the account on time every year to win the early bird prize.

“When you’ve got 50-odd rooms there is always constant maintenance so it’s fantastic to win the $7000 and every cent is valued and will go to a good cause.

“We’ve been members of the AHA since Trevor bought the pub.

“We need to constantly upgrade furnishings and interior fittings.

“We run our own diesel generators, water and bores."

The pub’s heritage listing makes renovations challenging.

Trevor originally only owned the leasehold of the pub but that quickly changed, just a year after taking over the operation.

It now serves breakfast, lunch and dinner with outback offerings such as kangaroo yiros with tzatziki and rogan josh goat curry.

But in William Creek, one thing you can’t have is a coldie on tap.

“We’re all packaged beer because the bore water is highly salty and calcifies so no-one was ever able to install lines for tap beer.

“We’re a combination of a fuel roadhouse coupled with a cafe - and throw in the accommodation facilities and camp ground and on top of this a hotel to boot.

Our little town can swell from 2 people to upwards of 200 people during a busy day.

Nothing comes cheaply in the outback.

Prices of pub meals and cold beers resemble prices in the CBD. “We have maintained a holistic philosophy to keep our services affordable to help as many travelers experience the outback. Even though with our location, we need to freight everything in and can pay upwards of $5000 a fortnight during the busy season to get freight from Adelaide.

“Sometimes during the busy season we even need freight weekly.

“The Hotel is the lifeblood of this region and the track and we see ourselves as an as an Essential Service. William Creek Hotel is about much more than gas, food and lodging.

“‘Cause when there are hundreds of cars/caravaners travelling the track and or it’s 50-odd degrees, there are a lot of people who can break down or have accidents and need our help. We are there first point of call for mechanical needs and in the case of medical emergencies the lifeline to support and help coordinate with the RFDS tele-services doctors. The RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor Service) only recently built a new remote medical clinic in William Creek - the first of its kind in Australia and repaces what was a stretcher in the hotel restauarant or a clinic in a hotel room - which opened last March.

“RFDS also fly in roughly 10 times a year to run regular medical and dental clinics for our staff, stations and travellers.

This has been amazing for the whole community.

“Getting to William Creek can be challenging at times however that is part of the romance of travelling the Oodnadatta track - the undulating roads, the changing landscape and colors and the vast ruins of a past railway history.

“Because of our remoteness and the lack of bitumen roads we are reliant on mother nature. Whilst rain is wonderful for the country it poses its own issues for us and can lead to the track being instantly closed and travelers being locked in for a few days and limiting our ability to receive basic food and supplies.When there is rain it makes traveling the track very challenging and always pays to check the SA Department of Transport outback road warnings prior to travelling website.

“When the roads are dry a standard 2WD can travel the track (with care). The Oodnadatta track is not affected by the NSW and QLD flooding. For those looking to travel the outback to see Kati Thanda we encourage people to book early - we are receiving substantial enquiries."

SAY G'DAY

So next time you venture north, make a point to stop in at the William Creek Hotel, one of SA’s great country pubs. It might be, as Shane says, “in the middle of nowhere”, but it’s the beating heart of the outback that’s worth the drive, every time.