The Browns Well Tavern, Paruna, reopened in November, 2021 after 13 years of closed doors - despite the town having an approximate population of 12 people.
Owners Ann Marie Boyce and Dino Nardecchia both live in Adelaide and commute to Paruna on Friday afternoons to work the weekend at the pub and head home after the last patron leaves on Sunday night.
"The shop and tavern are open all week as we have staff employed which run it for us, which has been fairly successful," Mr Nardecchia said.
"It has just taken off, from zero to where we are now.
"Ann Marie was looking for something else in the area and she came across the sign on the tavern and general store - she mentioned it to me and in the next breath she had actually bought it.
"It's part of her other business in disability care to provide respite there as well."
He said despite the towns small population, local farmers travelled to come to the pub on a Friday or Saturday night.
"Friday nights is a big night for us, and on Saturday nights the carpark at the front can be quite full at times and quite noisy," he said.
"Sometimes we don't shut doors until one or two in the morning and it's not unusual for that to also happen on a Friday night.
"Probably our busiest time is Friday and Saturday nights for meals.
"Sundays are mostly groups, where a lot of times we get motorbike groups that come through or car clubs or just different people that run through and they can be quite interesting afternoons as well."
Mr Nardecchia said the point of difference that kept the Browns Well Tavern kicking was their monthly golf tournaments played on a pool table.
"We let one of our patrons run it and it gets quite a crowd in," he said.
"But we also do our sheep shearing competition once a year in October or November - depending on how the seasons are going for harvest.
"It is a great crowd drawer and we do it to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
"We had the last one in early November and it went really well.
He said one of the local farmers, known as Sport, has a mobile shearing plant he brings to the pub for the event.
"Everyone nominates teams of four and we have a bicycle which someone has to pedal to power the shearing plant, someone shears, someone has to eat a cold pie and someone has to drink a warm beer - and we nominate times they have to do it all in," he said.
"It doesn't matter how good or how bad you shear, just as long as you get close to your time.
"But then we also have a speed shearing competition with prize money for them."
Mr Nardecchia said the key to running a successful pub was to be friendly and talk to people.
"You have to understand what they do," he said.
"You're not just serving them beer, you're actually listening to them.
"They all go through some hard times and some good times, but just being friendly, serve good food and be good value for money which is a drawcard with our meals.
"Everyone's friendly, it's a social gathering and that's what it's all about."
Hygenic Meats sponsor a weekly meat tray, which Mr Nardecchia streams to their Facebook page as the name is drawn by a fellow patron.
This is part of Stock Journal's iconic pub series - stay tuned for more pub stories to come.
Catch up on other iconic pubs:
Kiara Stacey
Journalist for Stock Journal. Kiara was in classified sales at Stock Journal before joining the editorial team in 2021. Kiara completed a Bachelor of Communication (journalism) at Deakin University the year prior.
Journalist for Stock Journal. Kiara was in classified sales at Stock Journal before joining the editorial team in 2021. Kiara completed a Bachelor of Communication (journalism) at Deakin University the year prior.
