When Jason and Bernie Parr visited Lake Bolac to consider taking over the pub, they thought their prayers had been answered.
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The husband and wife, from Newlyn, had decided to leave their long-term careers and travel around Australia.
The two enjoyed working in outback hotels while seeing all Australia has to offer.
However, when the coronavirus pandemic hit, they decided they needed something more permanent.
"We really enjoyed the work and we decided to buy our own pub," Mr Parr said.
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The couple stayed at the caravan park when they went to check out the pub and were struck by the welcoming nature of town residents.
What they didn't expect was that they would open the doors in the middle of the latest state-wide lockdown.
"The two or three days leading up to us opening were probably the most stressful days of our lives," Mr Parr said.
However, the support from residents - who have been buying takeaway meals from the hotel each night - has allayed their fears.
"They're lovely people here," Mr Parr said.
"I think it's just a great little town."
The pub will reopen for dinner on Wednesday and Mr Parr hopes people will come in to say hello.
He said the couple had plans to revamp the business, which includes the bar and bistro. They also plan to reopen the business' cafe.
Mr Parr said he had spoken to a number of residents who were keen for the pub to open for lunch and dinner.
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He hopes to make it a popular choice for the through traffic on the way to The Grampians.
"As we come out of the lockdown and get on top of things, there's a lot of things we want to do," Mr Parr said.
The takeaways will remain when the bistro reopens.
Mr Parr said despite the challenging start, he was positive about the future.
The couple has received a lot of support via its Facebook page, on which it will keep patrons up-to-date about the restrictions in place.
"Welcome - looking forward to meeting you and dining in soon," wrote on person.
"All the very best and good luck," wrote another.
The pub will offer two sittings in its bistro each night to allow more people to enjoy a meal while COVID restrictions are in place.
Under current coronavirus restrictions, hotels are allowed to have up to 25 patrons in a space smaller than 100-square-metres.
Venues are limited to seated service only.
If a venue has more than 100-square metres of available dining space, a density limit of one person per four square metres applies.
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