More than a hundred years later, new owners are hoping to keep it going for the next hundred, supporting new jobs in hospitality and giving back to the Black Hill community.

After a few tumultuous years, not helped by the pandemic, the lease for the venerable pub went up for grabs earlier this year.

Buoyed by the success at South Street's glorious Royal Oak Hotel, which they took over in early 2021 from beloved former owners John and Karen Turner, classic pub aficionados Dean Mangion and Gigi Milone put their hands up to take on a second hotel.

READ MORE: Ballarat 's historic Royal Oak's new owners step up

"Honestly, I didn't think we'd be where we are now, if someone had said, in January 2021, where do you reckon you'll be by now, I would not have said with our second pub," Ms Milone said.

"Fortune favours the brave, as they say, so let's just go for it and see what happens."

Planning for a mid-year reopening, Ms Milone and Mr Mangion are refreshing the pub's interior, revealing its original ceiling - which will need to be patched up, they admit - and preparing for a fresh paint job.

The pool table will be going, and the old fireplace in the middle of the bistro, but Mr Mangion said it's to help create a welcoming, living room feel.

"We think it's a corner pub, it deserves it, like the Royal Oak," he said.

"We've noticed, Ballarat's exciting to be around at the moment, there's loads of cafes, restaurants, little bars, fine dining opening up, but we want to keep our niche, which is pub."

"It'll be a staple for people around here, even if they just want to pop in for a drink," Ms Milone added.

"I think there's this feeling sometimes, maybe just in Australia, that certain pubs are for certain people - that's a tradie pub, that's a family pub - and for me, from the UK, pubs are for everyone, and we plan to make this the sort of pub where you can come in with the tradie gear and have a drink at the bar with your mates after work, or you can come in after school pickup with the kids and have some dinner, so the idea is to really make it for everyone."

READ MORE: Townhouse plans submitted for popular Ballarat Central pub

A focus for the Queen's Head will be attracting and building new talent to the hospitality industry, with Mr Mangion noting the pub is in search of a head chef.

"We're looking for someone, maybe someone who's been a sous chef who wants their first opportunity to run a kitchen in a small pub," he said.

"With the staff situation, if you're young, and don't have experience, but you're thinking about it and you want to travel overseas, come on in, come see us, if you want experience we'll give it to you, because I think we all need to work together now and bring in these young kids.

"I found it funny with some of my regulars, they've got kids who are 18 or so, and the last two years of their lives they've been in lockdown - on their phones they're fine, but one-on-one in public socialising is harder.

"I was one of the shyest ones, but then someone gave me an opportunity behind the bar, and that's what we want to do, we want to give people those opportunities."

With international travel resuming, Ms Milone said that entry-level hospitality experience could be a pathway to something far bigger.

"I've got family in the UK, and Dean's brother has venues in the UK, if you want to live in London for a bit and work in a pub, we've got connections there," she said.

"People sometimes think working on hospitality you become a bit of a slave to it, and that's something Dean and I, as employers, are really trying to go against, because we love to travel too - the idea is you'd come and work, there would be holidays, we want to accommodate that for people, it's really important to us."

IN THE NEWS

Ms Milone and Mr Mangion will be splitting their attention between the Queen's Head and the Royal Oak, they said, which will provide a challenge - one they're excited about.

"There are a lot of new faces at the Royal Oak, a lot of young families - our footy tipping, for example, we had 29 last year, 49 this year - and we're seeing on Friday, they're coming in to put in their tips, and they're bringing their partners, their kids, they're going out to have a beer or two," Mr Mangion said.

"It feels like a really great area, and we're super excited to be here," Ms Milone added.

"There are people who have supported this place for many years over many different owners, they 100 per cent deserve a place, and publicans, that show them the respect and give them the venue they want."

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