about us

How we have developed & grown our business?

What sets our business apart from competitors?

Nelson Hotel can be found on the coast three kilometres east of the Victorian South Australia border on the Portland - Mt Gambier road. The Hotel is adjacent to the "very picturesque" Glenelg river, which meanders some 400 kilometres from the Grampions into the Ocean at Nelson. The Hotel was built by Edward Leake in 1864. Records show Leake purchased the entire block on December 20th 1855 and erected the stone building. Andrew Brown later purchased the building. After renting it for some years he applied for his first license on December 7th 1882. That license was granted, the fee being 49 pounds. Brown continued as licensee until 1891. Nelson has seen many publicans since that time.

Neil Shelton became licensee in 1990. On our purchase of our Hotel in 1990 we undertook extenstive renovations to different areas of the Hotel. The major work took place in the bar area, with the removal of walls and a new bar was installed to open the area allowing more room and better service.

Kegs Cottage was also upgraded to self contained status.

We have enjoyed a substantial increase in turnover every year since 1990.

Neil Shelton - Licensee

The absolute best man for the job. Neil combines great personality, tolerance and a great mind to run a Hotel that is fun and safe to visit with excellent service at a good price. He is very honest and hardworking with excellent staff to assist with the running of the business.

Overview of our Products and Services

We operate the Hotel seven days a week. We have two dinning rooms. The main dinning room seats 80 and the Fireside dinning room seats 30.

The "Fireside Dinning Room" also doubles as a conference venue. TV, video and a white boards are available

How we have developed & grown our business?

We provide and promote a very welcoming and comfortable Hotel, with an excellent team of courteous, well-informed staff. The environment is warm, safe and most inportantly "fun".

We have gained a lot of customers and a good reputation through supplying an excellent product at a good price. For example, the meat we use is supplied to us thourgh Shelton's Butchers in Mount Gambier. George Shelton, a third generation butcher, (and a family member) hand picks his meat at the market every Wednesday. Shelton's supply us with only top grade meat.

We are very selective when choosing fresh produce for our Hotel and once again only accept top quality. All stock entering our Hotel must meet the requirements of our food safe plan.

The Hotel also provides many sponsorships which in turn brings us a lot of business.

Some of the groups and clubs we sponsor are:

Dartmoor Football Club
Dartmoor Golf Club
Port MacDonnell Football Club
Port MacDonnell Bowling Club
Nelson Classic Boat Club
Mount Gambier Angling Club
Nelson CFA
Nelson Progress Association
Nelson Red Cross
Mount Gambier Gun Club
Cancer Research - a big morning tea is organized
Women's and Children's Hospital
Rendlesham Cricket Club

We hold a raffle in the Hotel every Friday evening and four local groups share the money raised through these raffles.

We provide "set menus" for group bookings relevant to their needs.

For example:

provide luncheons for the aged
cater for sporting teams including tennis clubs, football clubs, car clubs, walking clubs and bird watching clubs
cater for visiting schools, both primary and secondary
provide bar meals for quick snacks
cater for wedding receptions and other functions

We advertise regularly in different mediums.

What sets our business apart from competitors?

We have a strong tourist trade due to the exceptional area where we are situated. e.g. Glenelg River provides fishing and water sports. Local Ocean beach and the river estuary are excellent areas for swimming, fishing and walking. 27,000 hectares of National Parks offer outstanding bush walking and camping opportunities.
'No pokies' - the pub with a difference - we continually receive positive comments for the fact that we do not have poker machines.
Absolute commitment to stocking only the very best quality of food and beverages. No shortcuts ever!
Fantastic, skilled, friendly staff who take immense pride in their work and fulfill educational commitments e.g. Food safe course and responsible serving of alcohol.
The availability of alfresco dining on our brand new verandah area overlooking our beautiful town and river.
Gaining exceptional advertising from Rex Hunt. We featured on Rex Hunt's Fishing Show. Rex also promoted us on Melbourne's 3AW on three occasions as well as giving us a mention during his football commentary. The Fishing Show goes to 161 countries throughout the world and has given outstanding promotion of our Hotel and our town.
Maintaining the historic ambiance of the Hotel, which was built in 1848.
The Hotel serves as a focal point for the community where locals gather for enjoyment, meetings and fundraising. Therefore it is an integral part of a small, remote, isolated community.