Dynamic business duo Belinda Douglas and John Starr are breathing new life into the historic Mumballup Tavern in the South West.
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Affectionately known as 'the Mumby' by local residents, it is one of only two buildings remaining in the locality of Mumballup that, in its heyday, was a thriving timber town with a working mill and school.
Mumballup is about 220 kilometres south of Perth, between Donnybrook, Collie and Boyup Brook.
European settlement in this area started in the 1880s.
By the turn of the 20th Century, the region had developed a thriving timber industry.
In 1898, a meeting of local settlers at Preston Agricultural Hall (now known as Yabberup Hall) agreed a staging place was needed for travellers in the Preston Valley between Donnybrook and Boyup Brook.
Consequently, in July 1906, Thomas Bushe Jones subdivided land near the junction of the Preston/Collie and Donnybrook/Blackwood roads at Mumballup.
William Ogden purchased 0.8 hectares of land there and, in February 1907, applied for a Provisional Publican's Licence to build a hotel.
It was completed in September 1907.
The hotel, which was initially known as Forrest Wayside House and then the Forrest Tavern, was later leased to Benjamin Oliver.
According to the Western Australian Heritage Council, the Forrest Tavern was a single-storey, rendered brick building with a corrugated iron roof and a deep front verandah in the Victorian Regency style - even though it was constructed in the Federation era.
The original long rectangular building had a passageway down the centre.
On the eastern side was the main bar, the bar parlour, a bedroom, a large dining room and a kitchen.
The western side had a lounge bar, one small bedroom, two large bedrooms and an open space.
There were front and back verandahs and all rooms except the main bar and kitchen had corner fireplaces.
The building was constructed with locally hand-made bricks and pit-sawn timber.
At the rear of the main building was a six-stall wooden stable (with accommodation for two buggies) and a wooden 'garage'.
Over the years, the front four rooms have been combined to make a large lounge bar area.
The two large bedrooms on the west side have been divided to make three smaller bedrooms and a kitchen (the old kitchen area, at the back of the building, is now a storeroom).
A bathroom, shower and private toilet have been installed in the open space opposite the old kitchen.
A washhouse on the northeast corner of the building has been superseded by a laundry at the western end of the back verandah.
A public ladies toilet has been built on the western side of the lounge bar area and a (detached) public gents toilet is located on the western side of the building.
When the internal alterations were done, all the original pressed metal ceilings were retained.
The corner fireplaces are also still in place, with the two in the lounge area still being used.
Likewise, when the main bar area was added, the external appearance was retained, apart from the bull-nosed verandah roof which is now a skillion.
Mumballup was once a siding on the Donnybrook-Katanning railway line, which opened in 1908.
The Mumballup siding was closed in 1980 and the railway line ceased operation in 1982.
The Mumby is now a landmark on the Donnybrook/Boyup Brook Road and a significant social outlet in the Mumballup area.
It continues to attract Donnybrook, Collie and Boyup Brook 'locals' and many visitors from as far as Perth.
Situated on the Bibbulmun Track walking trail that stretches from Kalamunda to Albany and the Munda Biddi bicycle track, many hikers call in to the Mumby for refreshments.
There are also motorcycle clubs that use the Mumby as a destination, being an easy ride from Perth through the picturesque Ferguson Valley.
Today, Mumballup is a quiet locality with a population of about 100 people.
It serves as a gateway for travellers exploring the scenic attractions of the South West region, including the nearby Glen Mervyn Dam and the Bibbulmun Track.
Ms Douglas and Mr Starr are the latest in a long line of publicans who have operated the Mumby.
They have recently secured a liquor licence for the premises, where they also live in the back section.
It is a dream come true for Ms Douglas, who has always wanted to work from home.
Having grown up in the semi-rural Fleurieu Peninsula region of South Australia, she has never wanted to live in a busy capital city.
Instead, Ms Douglas worked in various jobs in regional areas, including at a hardware store, pharmacy, bank and in real estate.
She met Mr Starr when she came to WA to work as a barista for a mobile coffee-making company.
"I worked the coffee vans for 10 years under an amazing boss and then for four years owning three vans myself," she said.
"That is how I met John, he was a frequent customer.
"He used to come into the Myalup Service Station in his truck, where I also worked as a barista.
"John works in his family's business, which makes natural sausage casings to supply around Australia."
The coffee vans took Ms Douglas to all of the major WA machinery field days and other events throughout the South West region.
"I love to drive and I love the countryside, so the coffee vans were an ideal job for me," Ms Douglas said.
She has retained one van to set up at the Mumby and already has a loyal following from the locals, who are delighted to get a top-quality barista-made brew in the small locality.
Running the pub has been a steep learning curve for Ms Douglas.
She moved to Mumballup on a Wednesday, sold two coffee vans on the Thursday and opened the Mumby for business on Friday.
"It has been flat out," she said.
The previous Mumby owners had advised there would be a need for two staff to run the operation in the kitchen and bar area.
But Ms Douglas quickly worked out she would need seven to eight staff each day.
Luckily she has been able to source staff from the surrounding districts.
The liquor licence took eight weeks to come through, which had thrown a spanner in the works initially, but that is now sorted.
Ms Douglas, who is taking the lead on running the pub with Mr Starr more of a silent partner (he works in Kemerton five to six days each week), said she couldn't pour a beer before arriving at the Mumby.
"Working in a pub was never on my radar," she said.
"John was the one who saw the Mumby was for sale and fell in love with the building and potential business opportunity."
For Ms Douglas, it was a chance to work from home that she desperately wanted.
She said the pub was on 0.8 hectares of land that backed onto the Preston River.
"I love animals and finally I have enough space to have a miniature donkey called Murphy, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and - just recently - I have purchased a miniature pony called Ivy," she said.
"I'd love it if the kids we get into the pub for meals with their parents are able to interact with the animals.
"We could flag it as 'meet Murphy at the Mumby'."
Ms Douglas said it was early days, but her clientele so far appeared to be a good mix between Perth people staying in the region and others coming from the city and the surrounding areas for a drive and a bite to eat.
She said there was a growing tourist scene around Donnybrook and the Ferguson Valley that augered well for business in the long-term.
At this stage the Mumby is open Thursday nights for dinner and a popular meat raffle.
Lunch is served fom Friday to Sunday and dinner on Fridays and Saturda .
It is licensed for 200 people.
There is a new chef at the Mumby who has worked at many locations across the South West.
Ms Douglas said they were keeping as much as possible of the historical Mumballup Tavern building intact.
"It is such a beautiful building with all the original bricks and fireplaces," she said.
"There is even a bullet hole in the glass at the front of the bar.
"I'd love to know the story behind that."
To date, Ms Douglas has resisted the temptation to market the Mumby on social media, as she said they were too busy as it was.
She has grand plans for the pub that include getting bands and other live music acts into the beer garden and setting up outdoor movies.
There is free camping across the road from the Mumby, which is for campers who are self-sufficient.
Ms Douglas said maybe down the track she would think about establishing tiny home accommodation.
"I'd love to do events as well, such as bringing food vans across to the beer garden in summer and having a festival feel," she said.
"The local people have been so supportive of us, that I'd like to give them something back in terms of events and entertainment."
Ms Douglas uses as many local businesses as she can.
The alcohol is sourced through Donnybrook, meat for Thursday's raffle comes from several local butchers in Donnybrook, Collie and Boyup Brook and vegetables come from local growers.
More information: 08 9732 2550
