A lot of people say their business is an extension of themselves. Few mean it as literally as Tony Coppins.
Perched on the edge of Penneshaw, overlooking the Backstairs Passage, Hog Bay Saloon is Kangaroo Island’s new bar, eatery and live music venue. But to call it just that would be a massive undersell.
The landmark structure has stood here since 1905, and over its 120-year life has been many things. A post office, a telecentre, and later the Old Post Office Restaurant. For the last 25 years, though, it sat unused, empty enough that demolition was firmly on the cards.
“That was the moment,” Tony says. “They were going to knock it down. And we just couldn’t let that happen.”
Tony and his wife Sandy Hammat-Coppins stepped in, purchasing the building and committing to a full restoration – roof off, ceilings out, everything stripped back and rebuilt to make it feel like its original self.
“Although it’s all new, you wouldn’t know it,” Tony says. “It feels like it’s been here the whole 120 years.”
That’s by design. Much of what you see inside Hog Bay Saloon has been salvaged, reused or repurposed. And a lot of it was waiting in Tony’s collection for its moment to belong. Douglas fir and Oregon timbers – some more than 150 years old – were pulled from the original roof trusses, refurbished and turned into bar fronts and structural features. River red gum lines the bar. Pink gum, salvaged after bushfires out west three years ago, forms the bartops. Above the bar hang original Adelaide gas and electric street lights from the early 1900s, dimmed low to set the mood.
“It’s eclectic,” Tony says. “But it tells a story. It tells the story of Penneshaw.”
You enter through a magistrate’s courthouse door, pass Pentridge Prison yard gates from the 1850s – gates once walked through by figures like Ned Kelly – and move into a space that feels part saloon, part maritime museum, part local lounge room.
This place is a gold mine of SA’s history, and the fit-out alone is enough to draw you in. But it’s the food, drink and views that have already turned first-time visitors into regulars – and even earned it an early reputation. “ChatGPT says it’s the best bar on Kangaroo Island,” Tony laughs. “I think because locals are sharing it online, and you’ve got to trust the local drinkers – they know. They can sniff it out.”
Two ocean-facing decks spill out toward the water, where you can watch the ferry arrive, trace the coastline back toward the mainland, or watch the sun drop over the gulf.
The menu leans hard into South Australia and Kangaroo Island. Local seafood, antipasti and crowd-favourite gourmet focaccias are all designed for relaxed, share-style dining.
“The hand-made focaccias, they just go out the door,” shares Tony. “Everything’s local. The crayfish are from here. The prawns are caught in the Gulf right in front of us. You see the fish out there. You eat it here,” he adds.
Behind the bar, the drinks offering ranges from approachable house pours to serious bottles, with a wine list that showcases Kangaroo Island alongside the Adelaide Hills, Barossa and McLaren Vale.
The venue stays open late, filling a long-standing gap in Penneshaw’s night-time offering. Live music adds to the atmosphere, with a rotating line-up of local acts bringing everything from blues and acoustic sets to laid-back classics, giving the saloon a heartbeat after dark.
“It’s been great for the community, bringing back some soul into the town,” says Tony.
That local pull is no accident. Tony and Sandy also run Kangaroo Island Ocean Safari and Port River Cruises, and Hog Bay Saloon completes a trio of businesses deeply tied to the island and its visitors.
Hog Bay Saloon officially opened on December 20 and has reclaimed its place as a community fixture. A space layered with generations of memories, given a second life by a local power pair who know the island inside out.
“There are people who’ve had their 16th, 18th, 21st, 40th birthdays here,” Tony says. “Weddings. Marriages. Divorces. Everyone’s got a story tied to this building.”
Saving it meant saving all of that too.
Hog Bay Saloon
Where: 18 North Terrace, Penneshaw
When: 1pm-12am daily
For more info, click here.
Find the Facebook page here.
