THE Tooborac Hotel and Brewery is one of those pubs plenty of people know about.
The hotel's location on the Northern Highway, its historic bluestone exterior, and the dozens of cars parked outside spark a curiosity that is hard to resist.
James and Valerie Carlin have been the proud owners of "The Tooby", as it is fondly called by locals, for almost five years.
The hotel held the oldest liquor licence in Victoria until it closed for several years before James and Valerie purchased it.
Valerie and James have renovated and restored the heritage-listed hotel.
They employed a stonemason to repair the mortar between the ageing bluestones, added an extra dining room and repaired a decrepit stable behind the pub, turning it into a brewery.
The Tooby's home brews include the Woodcutters Amber Ale, the Stonemasons and a seasonal Blacksmith's Porter.
"They are on tap at the moment but we have plans to bottle it soon. We're thinking of bottling it into longer neck bottles for a more traditional style," James said.
"We want to get to the point where people stop in and have a meal, have a beer and then take some away with them."
James said the pub had been a watering hole for many people in the district.
"There are guys in their 80s and 90s that had their first beer here at 12 (years old)," James said.
"It was also a watering hole for Pucka (Puckapunyal Military Area).
"Guys, before they were shipped off to war, would sneak out of Pucka for a drink and then go off and serve their country."
Local folklore also suggests the hotel experiences paranormal activity, including the ghost of a little boy who was killed at the front of the hotel by a bullock dray and the spirit of an elderly local who frequented the hotel many years ago.
"People have suggested they've seen the little boy sitting there on the steps or they've seen other children sitting there talking to someone on the steps," James said.
"There's also been talk of an older gentleman who hangs around the bar area.
"There's one spot at the bar where he supposedly sat and we used to get flies there. The pub was clean, but we used to get flies in just that one spot."
"We've had staff members say they see a bloke one minute and then the next he's gone," Valerie said.
"It's been less common (to see the ghosts) since we renovated the hotel."
James said he hoped the work they had done on the hotel would stand it in good stead for the future.
"We've done our bit to keep the old girl going," he said.
