Glam Rock

Tasmanian-based hoteliers, Kerry and Alastair, are new to the game, but their home and boutique hotel speaks a different story

- Ali Heath

Christmas is hotting up in Tasmania and this year the Houston family will be celebrating in style, having completed an 18-month renovation transforming a derelict former pub into a chic boutique hotel and home at the foot of The Nut – a sheer rocky volcanic plug overlooking the picturesque harbor of Stanley.

Their new home and business venture began life as a pub in 1849, built by Michael Lyons, grandfather of the former Australian Prime Minister, Joseph Lyons. The stone walls have seen pub owners come and go, along with an infamous 1880s roller-skating rink, a crowd-pulling billiards and skittles room, and a cold room that doubled as the local doctor’s morgue, before falling into disrepair and standing empty for more than a year. If walls could talk, these would have tales to tell.