FIRST LOOK: A 140-year-old Mount Gambier pub is welcoming travellers and their dogs with 14 new cabins

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A historic Mount Gambier pub is entering a new chapter, with the Park Hotel adding 14 self-contained cabins designed for families, road-trippers and visitors exploring the Limestone Coast.

The new cabins sit on land adjoining the 140-year-old hotel and offer a more flexible accommodation option, with prices starting from $195 per night.

Each cabin sleeps up to six guests, with a queen-size bed and four single bunks, plus a kitchen, bathroom, living area, private car parking and an outdoor deck with seating.

Four of the 14 cabins have also been designated as dog-friendly, giving travelling pet owners another option when planning a trip to Mount Gambier. Guests staying in the dog-friendly cabins will also have access to a small, secure central dog run.

For Park Hotel owner Lisa Matthews, whose family-owned Matthews Hospitality Group has operated the Park Hotel for generations, the new accommodation represents much more than simply adding rooms to the historic pub.

“Our family has considered different possibilities for this land over the last couple of generations, so it’s incredibly rewarding to finally see it being used to provide something practical and affordable for our guests,” shared Lisa.

“Affordability was really important to us. We wanted to create comfortable, welcoming accommodation that gives families and visitors another option for staying in Mount Gambier, with all the convenience of having the Park Hotel right next door.”

The cabins add to the Park Hotel’s existing accommodation, which includes boutique rooms on the second floor of the historic hotel. Their ground-level, self-contained design is particularly suited to families, longer stays and visitors who prefer to have their car parked directly alongside their accommodation.

The addition of dog-friendly cabins was also a deliberate choice for the Matthews family, who are dog lovers themselves.

The family has previously seen the demand for designated pet-friendly accommodation at another of its Mount Gambier hotels and wanted to create an option that worked for both guests travelling with pets and those who would rather stay somewhere dog-free.

“We love travelling with our dogs when we can, so we understand how much being able to bring your four-legged family member can influence where you choose to stay,” said Lisa. “We wanted to make that genuinely practical, which is why guests staying in our four designated dog-friendly cabins also have access to a secure central dog run.

“At the same time, having designated dog-friendly cabins means we can retain dog-free accommodation for guests who prefer that.”

The new cabins arrive as the Limestone Coast continues to attract visitors from across Australia. According to the South Australian Tourism Commission, the region welcomed 807,000 overnight visitors in the year ending December 2024, with almost half travelling from within South Australia and another 47 per cent coming from interstate.

For visitors driving into the region, Mount Gambier can also provide a base for exploring attractions across the wider Limestone Coast. And while the cabins are brand new, the story behind the site stretches back more than a century.

The property was originally home to the Shakspeare Tavern, which was destroyed by fire in 1885 before being rebuilt as the Park Hotel in 1886. This year marks 140 years of the Park Hotel name.

The Matthews family’s connection with the hotel began in 1958, when Lisa’s grandfather Seymour Matthews and business partner Tom Pierce took on the lease.

Over the decades, successive generations have continued to adapt the hotel, including the addition of the distinctive Fountain Lounge and its Venetian fountain. The Park even became a TAFE training centre for hospitality, cooking and tourism between 1990 and 2000.

Today, the next generation is once again helping shape its future, with Lisa’s son Max Vasileff contributing to the cabin project.

“For me, it’s about respecting the history of the Park while continuing to invest in its future,” shared Lisa.

“There’s also a lot of pride in seeing Max put so much effort into this project and watching the next generation contribute their own skills and ideas.

“Ultimately, we want people to arrive and feel comfortable and welcome, feel they’ve received good value from their stay, enjoy their time in Mount Gambier and want to come back.”