Hills Beer Garden Fit For All Seasons

The honeymoon period at the new-look Bridgewater Inn shows no signs of abating.

The historic Hills pub has undergone a thoughtful and purpose-built makeover which transformed its already much-loved beer garden into a multi-level outdoor venue with three separate and contrasting entertainment areas.

And the busy summer season is yet to come!

The 10-month renovation was completed in March and the pub’s co-owner and marketing manager, Tracey Lee, said the feedback couldn’t be more positive.

“It’s been brilliant,” she said. “People absolutely love it.

“We’ve come from a place where the existing beer garden was really nice and a lot of people were saying, ‘Oh, you can’t touch it, it’s beautiful’, to the same people now saying, ‘Oh wow, we see what you’re doing’.

“We’ve just been so busy.

“We thought once we opened, we’d catch our breath but now we realise we won’t. We don’t have a chance, which is wonderful.”

MOTIVATION

Not to be confused with Bridgewater Mill which sits on the other side of Cox Creek, Tracey and husband Andrew bought into the pub in 2007. They share ownership with Peter Hatswell and general manager Matt Radloff.

The motivation for the refit was chiefly to protect the business from the flukey Hills weather which had ruined heavily booked events on more than one occasion.

It was a necessity.

“We always knew we needed to be able to have an outdoor space that had some sort of cover,” Tracey said.

“We’d have to move people inside at the last minute, so we could never confidently hold events and functions without being worried about the weather.

“In the Adelaide Hills it can be pouring with rain even in the middle of summer.

"We had a weekend the year before last leading into Christmas where it poured with torrential rain on the Saturday and it was still quite rainy on the Sunday.

“We lost over 500 customers because they couldn’t sit outside. We were completely booked inside and there was just no other option for them. Those sorts of scenarios can actually have a huge impact on our business at an important time of the year.”

Plans for an upgrade were initially tabled in 2021 but the COVID experience changed their perception of how to best utilise their idyllic surrounds, which include the creek and the popular Heysen Trail.

“The issue we struggled constantly with in the beer garden was that on a good day we are inundated with people, which is fantastic. But the minute the weather turned, if it’s wet or really cold, people don’t want to be out there,” she said.

“Prior to COVID, we were going to build a completely enclosed space in our beer garden.

“But COVID made us realise we have a real point of difference.

“Our beer garden is quite unique and to completely enclose it, it would have lost some of its appeal.

“Through COVID, everyone was sitting outside in winter – which they didn’t do previously.

“It opened up an opportunity.

“We realised that if we can keep people warm and comfortable, then they’ll sit out there.”

WHAT TO EXPECT

The result is three distinctly different outdoor spaces with names that evoke images of a charming English countryside tavern adjacent to a local cricket ground.

The Pavilion, the Sunken Lounge and Creekside can accommodate around 350 patrons, precisely half the hotel’s capacity.

The Pavilion is an open-air structure built to withstand the most miserable afternoon the Hills can conjure. It’s fitted out with gas fireplaces, overhead heaters and pulldown blinds to keep it warm and cozy in winter, while retaining an outdoors vibe.

The Sunken Lounge overlooks the beautiful creek. It is a more casual dining and drinking space that is also home to acoustic performers on weekends. The area is particularly suited to larger groups or functions such as birthday parties or wine tours.

“On weekends, a lot of people come up from town for lunch and a drive through the Hills.”

The freshly repaved Creekside sits on the lowest level and brings patrons close enough to nature and the local wildlife that they feel immersed in it.

Dogs on leashes are welcome at Creekside and there’s plenty of room for the kids to explore.

The renovation included new access toilets and a lift connecting the levels, upgraded downstairs bathrooms and an expanded kitchen with a newly installed walk-in cool room and freezer.

A new menu was soft launched around a month before the official reopening on the March long weekend –Tracey loves the scotch fillet – while the wine list has also had a makeover, with a much heavier emphasis on local Hills and South Australian wineries.

The $2.5m investment quickly lured an entirely new clientele, eager to learn what all the fuss is about.

“We’re seeing so many new people who are coming up to check it out, which is really nice,” Tracey said.

“On weekends, a lot of people come up from town for lunch and a drive through the Hills.”

But locals remain the lifeblood that keeps the heart of the Bridgewater Inn beating strongly.

“We sponsor local community clubs, teams and organisations including the local footy and cricket clubs.

“We run a lot of weekday specials which are more targeted towards the locals.

“And we have a large seniors following, who we cater for with a specific discounted menu.”

SOCIAL WORK SKILLS

Tracey gave up her full-time role as a social worker four years ago to dedicate all her energies towards the pub.

“The skills I gained in my social work are good for my customer interaction and certainly with all the young staff we have,” she said.

“I love my job. I get to do all the fun stuff, all the marketing and events and all of that. So it’s very creative and interesting.

“I love the connection with the locals. It’s great seeing those regular people and just being part of a community. It’s really, really lovely.”

Those same locals remained fiercely loyal to the hotel during the hard slog and considerable inconvenience of renovations.

“We had a whole summer and Christmas without a beer garden and that was tough on us.

“But our customers were amazing and so understanding.

“Everyone had to traipse up a big driveway and up a hill to gain entry to the pub and it was just incredible how people still managed to get themselves in.

“We were as full as we could be.

“Most weekends were completely booked out inside.

“And literally there was one small deck which had four or five tables and that was it, that was our outdoor dining.”

PATIENCE

Patience, she said, is the key to any publicans considering the same.

“You sort of feel like it’s going to be a long process and there is no light at the end of the tunnel - but there is.

“You reflect back and think, it was 100 per cent worth it and we are really happy with our architects and builders.

“We are all really proud of what we’ve achieved.”