Best of the Bush: The Peel Inn, Nundle

The Peel Inn Hotel has stood tall on Nundle’s soil for the past 160 years and was recently awarded Best Bush Pub by the Australian Hotels Association. A gold rush pub, it was built by William McIlveen in 1860 after the discovery of gold at Hanging Rock. But as the story goes, McIlveen lost the hotel in a game of cards against John Schofield in the late 1860s. Today, fourth generation publican Robert Schofield has run the hotel for the past 54 years with his wife Margaret. The couple’s two sons, Nathan and Drew, have also played their part in the pub’s evolution, ensuring it remains the hub of the community and attracts visitors from far and wide. 

Here, FOUND Regional talks to Robert and his son Drew on life as a landlord at Nundle’s oldest (and best) pub.

Robert schofield

It was won in a card game – true story straight from the mouths of the McIlveens. It was built by their family in about 1860. My great grandfather, John Schofield, came out from England that same year – he was from Dukinfield just outside of Manchester. You think Manchester was bad enough back then, well, Dukinfield was worse. He came over as a gold miner and sat down to a game of cards against William McIlveen one night and won the hotel. 

John ran it up until 1922 and his youngest son Victor put the balcony on the front of the place in 1914. Then my dad, Jeff Schofield and his brother Guy, bought the hotel back in about 1950.

It was 1966 when I started at the pub. Back then a beer cost 17 cents, then it went up to 18 cents and suddenly jumped to 20. Unheard of, I thought it was the end of the world. But we got over it eventually.

We had Tooth’s on tap. Someone had bought it into the pub years before so the hotel was ‘tied’ to it – that meant you could only sell Tooth’s. But that practice was banned in 1974,  so the deal was cancelled and we started selling Tooheys. 

A lot of rum and whisky was drunk in those days too, and there were just four wines – that was the extent of the wine list. Those wines like Porphyry Pearl and Ben Ean, awful stuff. We’ve seen a lot of change on that front thank goodness. 

A few places had just started doing counter lunches too, but we also had a dining room. We’d ring the bell and everyone would head out, pull up a chair and eat there, that’s the way it was. 

Then there were the bar fights. The fellow who ran the hotel before me said he’d go through three white shirts on a Saturday. But you’re not even allowed to think of having a fight at the bar now, it’s all changed for the better. Although one thing I never thought they’d ban is smoking in hotels – then that happened. We used to have to paint the bar out every two years just to keep the walls fresh. 

I’m 80 now and have stood behind that bar for 56 years. A lot’s changed, that’s for sure, but a lot of it for the better too. I sit back and think about all my mates who’ve gone over the years, all the people I’ve chatted to over that bar. They were marvellous, hard-working people – all they knew was work, but I guess change is inevitable. That’s the way it is and the hotel’s changed completely too. I never thought I’d see it reach this point, but I’m proud of what it’s become. It’s been a good life.

Drew schofield

We lived upstairs, above the pub. It was a pretty unique childhood and it’s definitely shaped the person I am. There was always so much interaction with the community, we were the hub of the town and it was a great place to grow up. My brother and I used to run down to the river for a swim – when the street lights came on, you knew it was time to go home. Either that or mum would stand on the verandah of the pub and yell out to us. We’d hear her no matter where we were. It was a really happy, stimulating environment to grow up in.

By the age of 15 we were working in the pub, collecting glasses and pouring beers. Of course there were no RSAs back then – we probably got away with a bit more in those days. The policeman might have turned a blind eye too, possibly because he wanted a beer. 

Today, my brother Nathan and I are the fifth generation to work in the pub. I’d worked in real estate in Mosman for 20 years before moving back five years ago. But I’ve since been married and while my family home is based in Sydney, I regularly travel back and forth between the city and Nundle; it’s the best of both worlds. 

We started out with one cook and two dishes. Now we employ three full-time chefs and a staff of 20. So those changes are big. But we still need to work with the infrastructure of the pub – it’s a 160-year-old building we’ve done up and tacked onto along the way. I always say it’s a bit like painting the Harbour Bridge, right? You start at one end, renovate to the other, and by the time you’re done you go back and start again at the other end. My brother did a lot of that, and now I’ve started on it too.

We’ve got 12 rooms upstairs, 14 beers on tap, an extensive bistro menu and we’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ve done a lot of work to evolve over the years and it’s great to be recognised by the Australian Hospitality Awards – that was a good pat on the back. But we don’t do it for the accolades, this is our family’s passion. We do it for us, for our team and for the community. We all work together and I think Nundle really punches above its weight for community interaction. The Nundle Tourism and Marketing Group do great things to keep Nundle on the map, and that’s important, because it’s not a town you pass through, you have to make the choice to come here. 

But I believe you’ve always got to row with the oars that you’re given, and that’s what we especially need to do in Nundle. We don’t always have everything, but we’re proud of what we do have and we hope to use it to the best of its ability.  

Dad’s just turned 80, he started in the pub on Melbourne Cup Day 56 years ago. It’s certainly been a labour of love for him. A lot’s changed in the time that’s passed, there’s so much technology and other bits and pieces that we try to keep up with. But we still believe we’re the same little old country pub, the place you come to get a cold beer, a good steak and some country hospitality. 

Pop on in to the Peel inn…

89 Jenkins Street, Nundle
peelinn.com.au
@thepeelinnhotel