WHEN Fay Deveril noticed her childhood home had been sold she called her siblings and told them it was time to say goodbye.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 1920s weatherboard cottage on Merimbula’s Main Street had seen better days, and Ms Deveril was sure it would be knocked down.
But to her delight the home was lovingly restored by two local entrepreneurs, Kirsty Pongratz and Mitchell Nadin, who spent the past two years transforming the home into a new bar and café.
“I'm just thrilled that someone came along to maintain the house and take on such a huge project,” said Ms Deveril, who had tears in her eyes as she toured the property for the first time last week since its recent completion.
The new owners drew inspiration for the bar’s styling from the cottage’s history, with dozens of photographs of Ms Deveril’s family scattered across the walls with other local paraphernalia.
The bar was also named after her late mother, Dulcie Goodsell.
“Fay told us about her mum who cooked, cleaned, washed, and looked after the entire family in this small house,” Ms Pongratz said.
“This cottage was Dulcie’s home, it was her domain.”
The venue is hard to miss with an enormous blossoming 60-year-old Jacaranda in the front yard, which sits overhead a restored 1959 Carapark caravan, which is fitted out with a new kitchen. Recycled paved terraces and a new hardwood deck overlook Merimbula’s lake.
“My brother gave the tree to my mother in a jam jar, she planted it and it’s so wonderful that it’s still there,” Ms Deveril said.
Local produce has been sourced for the menu, which will include oysters, wraps and an original variety of burgers designed by renowned Sydney chef Dan Pepperell in collaboration with Dulcie’s chef Zac Hidding. Locally supplied coffee will also be available.
He and Ms Pongratz spotted the cottage when they were in town for a school reunion several years ago and saw an opportunity to move back to the area and open a business.
“Initially we didn’t even know exactly what we wanted to do with the place but wanted to preserve what we thought was a small but valuable part of Merimbula’s history,” said Mr Nadin, who was working as a journalist in Sydney at the time.
Ms Pongratz’s husband, Sydney publican Jason Scott, who is a partner in the Swillhouse Group, mentored the couple during the project.
The new owners hope that Dulcie’s will offer residents a new, relaxed environment in which people can enjoy a drink with their friends.
Ms Pongratz said she hoped the venue would open in the next week.