Earlier this year Broadsheet reported that the 174-year-old Port Adelaide hotel had closed its their doors after entering liquidation.
The venue had an incredibly turbulent history. Before the landmark pub reopened in late 2017, it had been sitting vacant on the corner of Commercial and St Vincent streets for more than a decade.
The reopening – which followed a $1 million facelift funded by local entrepreneur couple Alison Sloley and Adam Freeman – was seen as a turning point for Australia’s last undeveloped port.
After liquidators were appointed on January 30, Sloley spoke to Broadsheet, saying the pair was “really disappointed that it had come to liquidation” but that they’ve had a lot of interest in the property, and hoped it would open again within a month.
Sloley’s hopes for a swift reopening were fulfilled when, earlier this week, a new Facebook page for the pub posted a beaming selfie announcing that owners of the Duke of Brunswick and The Dob on King William, Simone Douglas and Alex Fairgrieve, had purchased the space and would be “opening the doors as soon as all the licence transfers are complete”.
The pair are not new to Port Adelaide (they both worked at the Exeter Hotel many years ago). They had not been planning a return to the Port but after seeing news of the Port Admiral’s liquidation, the couple, who share a love for heritage pubs, knew they could bring something special to the space.
“The Duke of Brunswick turned 165 not long after we took it on. The Port Admiral is 174 and those kinds of pubs really shine when you are true to their history,” Douglas tells Broadsheet. “We want to [highlight] all the old stories and bring the history of Port into the building.”
While respecting the heritage of the building, Douglas and Fairgrieve will make changes to ensure they are using every inch of space effectively. Upstairs will be converted to seat diners and house a private dining room. They plan to have the balcony accessible seven days a week.
The biggest change comes to the menu. Classic pub grub like burgers, schnitzels, fish and chips and the famous chicken wings will still be on offer but the menu will be entirely gluten-free. It’s what they’ve done with their previous two venues and it’s made them legends among the celiac community.
“[The kitchen] will be 100 per cent gluten-free so that people diagnosed with celiac disease won’t have to be concerned about cross-contamination risks. It will be another allergy-aware, allergy-friendly venue. It’s something that we really pride ourselves on. Our exec chef Tiffany Hughes is amazing and … put together a menu that creates options for everybody,” says Douglas. “As much as people who can eat gluten baulk [at the idea of a gluten-free menu], they won’t be able to tell the difference.”
Judging by the comments on the venue’s new Facebook page, locals can’t wait to get back to the Port Admiral. Also eagerly awaiting the reopening is Douglas’s mum Prue Blackmore, “the pub grandmother”, who has been a fixture at the Duke of Brunswick ever since it opened. She has already popped by to give the new operation her stamp of approval. (And if Prue approves, you know it’s going to be good.)
