THE 112-year-old Dargo Hotel continues to thrive. ROSLYN LANIGAN reports

The tiny Gippsland township of Dargo is a long way from the bustling streets of London.

And that's just the way David Austin likes it.

Englishman David and his wife, Alison, bought the Dargo Hotel - an iconic pub in country Victoria - four years ago.

Established in 1898, the hotel originally catered to those seeking their fortune in mines in the area.

The hotel burnt down less than 12 months after opening, but was rebuilt using materials from demolished buildings in the nearby deserted gold township of Grant.

David said the pub attracted varied clientele.

"In the cooler months, you get the 4WD and motorbike people, and in the summer months, it's the family groups," David said. "When the kids go back to school, you get your grey nomads.

"You pretty much know who's going to be here based on what time of year it is."

David said it was Dargo's friendly hospitality that kept visitors coming back to the town, about 40km northwest of Bairnsdale in the foothills of the legendary Dargo high plains.

"It's a really friendly town - it has to be," he said.

"There's cattle work up here, but 70 per cent of the 80-odd people in Dargo would get some income out of tourism.

"We get people that come up here twice a year but they say this is their local pub, because that's how they're made to feel."

The walls above the hotel's bar are lined with more than 1600 stubby holders, donated by patrons far and wide.

There's also a collection of notes and coins from countries all over the world and a wall near the pub's billiard table is covered in hats.

"It gives people ownership of the place," David said.

"Alison and I are just looking after the pub. It doesn't belong to us, it belongs to the customers."

The hotel is also known for its hearty pub grub - huge steaks and "the best parmas in Gippsland," according to David.

The hotel's reputation as an iconic country pub is further served by its merchandise - shirts, singlets, hats, stickers, stubby holders and even livestock ear tags.

David said the hotel sold thousands of bumper stickers every year.

"You see them everywhere, even in the heart of Melbourne," he said.

"It's the publicity you can't buy."

However, the hotel also gets plenty of publicity it could do without.

Bushfires threatened the town in 2003, 2006 and again last year, not long after Black Saturday.

David said it took two years after the 2006 fires for tourism levels to return to normal.

"The township of Dargo has never burnt down but there's a perception that it's dangerous," he said.

"The anniversary of Black Saturday this year even stopped people from coming.

"That's our biggest challenge - the fear of fire."

David said the hotel became a hive of activity in times of fire and flood.

During the 2006 fires, the hotel's kitchen served up about 300 meals each night to exhausted firefighters and volunteers.

"It was a big logistical effort," David said.

"We were sleeping night and day shift (firefighters) in our cabins and bunkrooms, which was a big job for the cleaners.

"They were stripping beds twice a day, and the kitchen was going all day and all night.

"At times like that we call on everyone in the community to pitch in and help."

But David was adamant there was still plenty of action at the hotel without the impost of a natural disaster.

"Our busiest periods are over New Year's and Easter," he said.

"We have live bands and free camping and it's nothing for us to have 4000-5000 people come through over those times."