Elephant Bridge - Darlington

I had a wonderful experience staying at this beautifully renovated historic pub. Karin is an incredibly generous host who has ensured everything is of the highest quality. The beds are cozy, the linens are fresh, and the robes and towels are luxurious, all within a meticulously clean atmosphere. The dinner was delightful, with a casual home-cooked vibe, and I must say, it had the best muesli I've ever tasted!

What a wonderful surprise when I stepped into this old pub I have driven past for the last 39 years. Karen has done a beautiful job restoring this country pub. Now it's not just a pub, it is a gorgeous gastronomic delight on a road I travel often. Most importantly the coffee is Devine. A must stop on your travels.

We had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of someone capable of revitalizing the Elephant Bridge Hotel, and it was definitely worth the wait. Karin is a wonderfully welcoming host who has done an incredible job preserving the historical charm of the place. It truly looks perfect now!

A friend and I went for a drive from Mortlake for lunch today; we were both really impressed with service, food, surroundings and price. A lovely restoration has been done of the pub; definitely an amazing asset to the Western District. Well done! Will definitely be back.

Ever since I saw how lovingly the Elephant Bridge Hotel, at Darlington, Victoria, had been restored, a stay there hit my “must do’ list and the excitement and commitment festered every time I drove past and surveyed this historic building. On Sunday this longing was satisfied and it fulfilled my expectations ten-fold and created a new addition to ’my must do again’ list. The entire experience was a delight from the moment I made contact with owner Karin, and warm friendly text were exchanged. Karin had been a stranger when she previously showed us her three accommodation bedrooms, whilst she was awaiting the arrival of the fabulous addition of vintage style window shutters for the bedroom windows. A text to Karin on the day confirming our estimated time of arrival ensured our arrival was also met with excited anticipation. The building exudes a sense of history from the worn front step where many a weary traveller has trod in the past, to the portions of exposed bluestone walls that give a sense of the incredible skill that the builders of the past had. The minor variation in the windows with their deep-set wooden ledges, the tongue and groove lining boards on the ceiling, all provide an insight into the building styles and materials of the past. The light switches and power outlets fascinated me because they had been chosen with such perfection and to lie in bed and pull a cord hanging from the ceiling to turn on and off the overhead light that was suspended on a long pendant delighted me with a flood of memories from sixty years ago at my grandmother’s house. The shared bathroom and additional toilet have been tiled to perfection and whilst housing some modern features the overall effect is totally in keeping with past era. The open fire in the shared sitting room was an inviting place to have tea or fresh coffee or an alcoholic drink if you prefer. For those that don’t want to mingle there is another loungeroom upstairs. Karin offers evening meals for guests and I strongly suggest you take advantage of this. Karin is a very interesting sociable person who makes a for a very pleasant companion throughout the evening. I suspect my overwhelming sense of “this is very nice” that stayed with me throughout the entire experience meant that I overlooked many other quirky aspects that I would have also found very interesting – there is just so much evidence of history to take in in just one visit. On the practical side, the beds are very comfortable, towels super thick, as are the bath robes, and a little lift carried my case from the ground floor to the first floor, breakfast is a lovely muesli that is packed full of delicious nuts, followed by a very generous serving of a variety of very appealing toasted breads and fruit loaf accompanied by butter, rhubarb and strawberry jam, peanut butter, vegemite.