Heading down the Golden Highway in the small town of Dunedoo, a heritage pub that was built over 100 years ago sits on a street corner.
A sign out the front that reads “Free hot showers for truckies” has become a permanent fixture of the façade for the last 18 months or so. We spoke with the Hotel Dunedoo’s owners to learn the story behind the sign.
Husband and wife duo Marlitt Herr and Glenn Chapman took over the pub about six years ago.
Previously they had been operating a charter boat in Sydney but were looking for an escape from the bustling city lifestyle. Their tree change came in the form of this quiet country town, which answered their call.
Dunedoo sits in the Warrumbungle region of NSW. It’s between Mudgee and Dubbo (around 80km from each).
“We get a lot of truckies going through our town. It’s a crossroads on the way to a lot of places and we have a big Catlex truckstop located just across the road,” said Herr.
“As well as the hot showers, we also have tea and coffee facilities for truckies too. Hotel Dunedoo has good food, good beer and we do big healthy meals, like steaks and all of that sort of stuff.”
The chicken schnitzel, mixed grills and burgers are always popular as are the nightly specials – particularly the $15 ribs special on Wednesdays and the $17 t-bone special each Thursday. “We also have other specials throughout the week but those two are the big nights that bring a lot of people in,” added Herr.
The pub can seat around 100 people and has a pool table out the back.
During COVID, Herr and Chapman took the opportunity to freshen up the interior with some new timber work and a fresh paintjob.
“Because we were the only venue in town doing takeaway during lockdowns, it wasn’t as bad for us as it could’ve been. We got a lot of support from the locals too,” said Herr.