Iconic 140-year-old pub renovation will 'put Nyngan on the map'

The Nyngan Hotel on Nymagee Street operated as a hotel for 100 years and was then used as accommodation for shearers for the next 30 years, and will reopen as boutique accommodation, a pub and dining room on July 1.

The venue will be called The Nyngan and will make the historic landmark something iconic in the Central West.

It is the brainchild of Emily Stanton, who is the manager at the local caravan park, and her builder husband James Stanton, who have been renovating the stately Victorian-era building for the past year.

"We want it to become a destination," said Ms Stanton.

"We want it to put [Nyngan] on the map. When people think of Nyngan, we want people to think, gee, that place has got a good pub.

"It's more than just about us - it's trying to make it a destination that people want to stop in Nyngan. It's about trying to bring something to our community."

The renovation has been a mammoth effort, and as of April 2024, was 70 per cent complete.

The Stantons first enquired about purchasing the building in 2022, and found out the previous owner - a shearing contractor - saved the building from demolition and being knocked down for its bricks.

The building wasn't advertised for sale but had an old, faded 'Elders' For Sale sign in one of the windows, which had been there for many years.

When the Stantons first purchased the building they had no intention of opening the hotel, bar, or restaurant, but purchased it solely for accommodation, which they said was lacking in Nyngan.

"The work for the development application and construction certificate took ten months from start to final council approval and was a huge cost. Our biggest challenge was fire safety and getting an 1883 built two story building to comply with current building codes," the Stantons wrote on social media.

"This is by far the biggest and most challenging project we have ever taken on. A mix of excitement, nerves and 'God we hope this works'."

There were numerous challenges along the way, including the requirement to widen the doors for disability access, and replacing crumbling floor boards and wall plaster.

The team also spent a lot of time restoring the old building to its former glory, having a local artist paint a mural harking back to an old Tooth's beer advertisement they found inside, and choosing a tile fresco for the exterior walls.

The Stantons had previously renovated an old pharmacy building in town, but The Nyngan proved more challenging.

"The size and scale of the building is what makes it such a big task," said Ms Stanton.

"Working with old buildings, we've had a lot of surprises along the way.

"We've had water leaks that have led to entire floors needing to be ripped up.

"We thought in the bar area, we'd be able to just straighten the bears in one of the floors, but they were all rotted and basically ruined. So we had to do a concrete infill slab in one of the dining rooms."

The town of Nyngan has banded behind the Stantons, excited to see what they are making of the old building.

"Everyone is just so excited, keen to see it open and to have a venue that offers something we just don't have [in Nyngan]," Ms Stanton said.