After months of careful planning and hard work, The Rusty Gurnard has reopened its doors, bringing a fresh new look while maintaining the heart and soul of a true local pub. This renovation is more than just a facelift—it’s an investment in the community, creating a welcoming space where locals can come together, share a drink, and enjoy great hospitality.
With a modernised bar, refreshed dining areas, and upgraded outdoor spaces, the pub now offers a more comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone. Whether it’s families catching up over a meal, mates watching the footy, a cold beer after a great days fishing, The Rusty Gurnard is once again the social hub it was meant to be.
Beyond aesthetics, the refurbishment also brings tangible benefits to the local economy. More jobs, support for local suppliers, and a boost in foot traffic help strengthen businesses in the area.
Community events, live entertainment, and special nights are all part of the plan to make the pub a true gathering place for all.
With its new look and renewed energy, The Rusty Gurnard is ready to serve the community for years to come—offering great food, cold drinks, and good times in an atmosphere that feels like home.
It was great to catch up with both Adam and Justin to get a true understanding of the process and what drove them to reopen The Rusty Gurnard.
What prompted you to undertake the renovation?
My wife Michelle and I love Port Welshpool and have had a home there for just over 4 years. When the pub came up for sale, we thought it would be a terrific next stage for our lives. We approached our friends, Justin and Christie Leppitsch, to do the project with us and once the sale was done and permits were in place, we got started.
Did you have a clear goal in mind for the renovation (e.g., increasing patronage, improving functionality, or enhancing the venue’s aesthetic)?
To be honest, our first goal was just to get the place open for locals to enjoy once again!
When we got started, the renovation was actually quite daunting and we knew it was going to be quite an investment to get it going again. The building is just over 30 years old and had been left dormant for approximately 3.5 years of that period, during which time it suffered an incredible amount of damage due to vandalism, neglect and extensive leaking. Most of
the operational equipment associated with the kitchen and bar were past their use
by date, and the old timber bar itself was rotten. Once the demo and some critical repairs were completed, we met as a team to set some budgets and discuss what type of vibe we wanted to bring to the building, which was to really lighten it up to give it
a beach side, rustic open feel. Our team’s note to ourselves over and over throughout the process was to create a place “where the locals feel at home and visitors feel welcome”.
We have pretty much left the flow and floor space of the building as it was, while trying to make better use of the upstairs area. We wanted to maintain the building’s original character lines whilst lightening the colour scheme internally and bringing in a fresh nautical theme and finishes that complimented the new name – The RUSTY Gurnard.
As we all know, Port Welshpool is one of the most beautiful places, and we are so fortunate that The Rusty Gurnard is right on the water. We added new outdoor areas so customers can choose to enjoy the area and everything it offers even more.
How did you decide on the scope of the renovation.
We started with a broad idea that we refined throughout the process depending on certain requirements and issues we found along the way. We understood that we needed to invest wisely in the kitchen and bar (including reinstating the keg room and installing a new glycol system) all whilst trying to remain within a budget to revamp the overall internal aesthetics of the building. My wife Michelle was tasked with the colour schemes and fit out and has done an outstanding job designing the final look.
We have always tried to keep things local and are proud to have used materials from an old barn in Loch, old fence palings from Port Welshpool itself and the bar is made from recycled timbers sourced from piers in the region
We donated a few original items to the local museum, including the “Pier Port Hotel” fa ade from around the fireplace, replacing it with a Rusty Gurnard version thanks to Steel Sparking, who also donated all of our steel Rusty Gurnards on the walls!
Locals were popping in to help out as well, and even donated pieces which you see throughout the building, including our
incredible fishing nets donated by Shane Roberts. We really are fortunate to live and work in this area.
What were the biggest challenges you faced during the renovation process? How did you overcome them?
Apart from fast tracking our understanding around the physical operation of a pub to ensure we were making the best decisions from both a financial and functionality point of view, having the mains power reinstated probably proved the biggest hurdle. However, no matter what challenges we faced along the way, we were lucky to engage or be directed to some awesome local trades people who made the whole process fairly smooth.
Since opening what has driven patronage, bookings, or event inquiries as a result of?
To be honest, we have been blown away by the incredible number of people who have come through the doors over our first summer. We have definitely gained a lot of traction through our socials and marketing.
The other biggest factor would be word of mouth, and again, just our locals. They have been incredibly supportive. Our Head Chef has done a wonderful job with the menu which also has people coming back for more as well.
Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently during the renovation process?
I think the biggest lesson we’ve learnt over our first summer is that we need blinds to combat that late day sun, along with some additional air conditioning throughout certain areas including upstairs and throughout the bar and kitchen.
There were definitely a few days that our staff and visitors were cooking! We also originally put some sound proofing throughout the bar side of the building, but it’s really needed throughout the entire venue. Having said all of that, we are excited to keep improving and bringing that by next summer! We meet as a group often to reflect on problems and successes, and we continually strive to do better. The Rusty Gurnard and all four of us as owners are a continual work in progress, and we are all very excited for what’s still to come.