The Mount Kembla Village Hotel has opened a cafe and is soon to rent out upstairs rooms as boutique-accommodation as the historic pub prepares for an influx of visitors attracted to the soon to open mountain bike trails in the escarpment.
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Publican Daine Blackburn said the pub was in the enviable position of being the only commercial business in Mount Kembla, as the hillside village becomes a global mountain biking mecca.
"The numbers that we're expecting is about 1500 to 2000 people a week using the trails, so we've had to think about how we can position the hotel to accommodate bike riders," he said.
The first phase is to open a cafe in the front dining room, spotlighting local artisans, including Coniston roaster Swell Coffee, cult Bulli bakery Millers Local Bakehouse for pastries and sourdough whisperers Pane Paradiso for avo on toast.
In the few weeks since the soft launch, locals have already flocked to the site, thankful to not need to get into the car for a barista-made coffee, Mr Blackburn's partner Kath Walshaw said.
"It's been really popular with people with dogs, families doing the drop off and pick up," she said.
The early risers have injected a new energy into the historic pub, something that the owners are looking to continue as the cooler temperatures set in and the fire roars in the open hearth.
The next phase is accommodating the predicted droves of cyclists, with secure storage for bikes that often cost close to the price of a small car. Storage cages are being installed near the beer garden, so bikers can enjoy a schooner after tackling the 26 kilometres of tracks that will wind through the escarpment.
The facilities will also include charges for battery-assisted steeds.
The final stage will involve the re-opening of the accommodation on the upper floor of the pub.
Mr Blackburn said it was not known when the rooms were last rented out to the public, and the team was currently in the process of restoring the eight rooms. Some of the original features are still present, adding a heritage touch to the new renovations.
"The original components have been restored and repainted and we've done all those spaces up."
Ms Walshaw said the current works were the beginning of the next chapter in the 126-year-old hotel.
"It's been the mining community, the Mount Kembla community, and now we're going to have this new wave of a biking community."
