The Cradock Hotel follows the wave of their customers - shutting down over the summer period when they don't attract many visitors but will be opening their doors most Fridays and Saturdays between now and the end of next month where usual business hours will recommence.
Owners Dave and Amy Wallis bought the pub two and half year ago based off a "shits and giggles conversation one Christmas".
"I left a good government job and my wife was a bank manager so we thought, 'why not, lets have a go'," he said.
"I say we don't make any money but we have one heck of a lifestyle.
"We're surrounded by the most amazing people and we get to share part of someone's journey whilst they're traveling this great country of ours.
"And being in rural SA there's just nothing better."
Dave said the pub had only been shut for seven years since 1881, when it was originally built.
"It's originally known as the Heartbreak Hotel because the area was originally opened up for cropping in the 1800s and then they had bumpy years of rain and the drought came," he said.
"So basically the area went from wheat cropping to sheep farming.
"The pub was one which steeped in history - so it's one of those hotels that have been around for a long time."
Dave said the previous publicans did a bit of work to the hotel and started a campaign of 'buy a beer, camp for free'.
"We have now named ourselves the home of the Flinders Ranges, buy a beer camp, for free hotel," he said.
"We are family operated where our kids help out where they can and we have Helen who works the bar as well.
"There are 16 people around town and when you consider seven of them are us within the hotel - it's a small town.
"We have five children but our eldest is out working so four of our children and my dad is also in the town as well."
He said they pride themselves on their dawn service for ANZAC day.
"It's our biggest event where we run a beautiful dawn service at our local communities, War Memorial Gardens," he said.
"Running a successful pub comes down to ensuring we remember we are a community centre, we're not just a hotel, we're not just a business, but we're a place where all of our locals and farmers can come together and enjoy stories from the weekend, get together and be a community.
"Our main goal, whilst running a business is really cool, is being able to share a bit of our country with people who wouldn't normally come this way because we're off the beaten track and we're not on a main highway.
"It's amazing because we get more Victorian and New South Wales travelers because that's the main route to come up through to Birdsville and the Simpson Dessert whereas most South Australians will go straight up the highway and across so we get to share our bit of the country with interstate visitors which is fantastic."
Dave said they were excited to be announced as finalists in the Grey Nomad Awards.
"We've won TripAdvisor awards and have a really high rating on Google and WikiCamps," he said.
"We're about to reinvigorate our social club and we've organised a committee to organise that so it's run for the people, by the people rather than the hotel running it.
"And we are just continuing with being there for weary travelers to have a break on their way up to see the iconic Flinders Ranges."
The Cradock Hotel have toilets and coin operated showers out the back for their buy a beer, camp for free offer and also offer rooms and meals when they are open which is usually Tuesday to Sunday from 11am.
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.
