“You literally have to drive past us to get to the coast … so pop in!” urges Ben Johnston, the owner of the Steampacket Hotel at Nelligen. Photo: Steampacket Hotel.
Ben Johnston inherited a broken pizza oven and a music festival when he took over Nelligen’s Steampacket Hotel.
As it turned out, it was quite the challenge to get parts for the giant wood-fired oven … they were eventually sourced from Italy.
“Now it’s all fired up and the pizzas are phenomenal,” Ben says proudly.
“You can eat in or even order ahead and pick up a takeaway pizza through the bottle shop if you’re on the move.”
The second legacy was the much-loved NelliJam Music Festival, now in its 14th year and a welcome addition to the Steampacket’s 2025 live music calendar.
The iconic South Coast festival, the brainchild of local musician and teacher Danny Freeman, has a broadly rock and blues flavour, is family-friendly and will amp up on Saturday, 11 January, from 11:30 am to 11:15 pm.
Ben’s focus is on developing the pub’s live music lineup and making the most of its expansive beer garden. The garden boasts “an amazing stage and lighting set-up” and an inviting grassy area for kids to play and families to relax.
The pub will play host to cult Canberra band Cell Black 69 on 18 January at 7 pm, he reveals.
It’s all part of the new vibe at the hotel, which has been going full steam ahead since it re-opened with a new look and menu about 12 months ago.
There’s been a renewed focus on sourcing regional produce, and there are even more vegetarian and seafood options, including the famous Clyde River oysters, which are as fresh as you can get from just 5 km down the road.
Ben deliberately keeps the kitchen open for extended hours, catering to travellers and the broader coastal community. Batemans Bay is just 10 minutes away, and he says, “We want to become famous for the best food around.”
From the front bar to the bistro and even a separate jungle-themed area, Ben says the place sells itself once you go in.
One of the best compliments he’s received is that regulars at Nelligen’s Big4 Holiday Park across the road are dropping in to check out last summer’s refurbishment – and racing back to dine there.
“A lot of holidaymakers have been coming to the campground for years,” Ben explains.
“After we re-opened, people would pop in for a drink and were so impressed they’d say things like, ‘I’m going back to grab my wife and kids’.
“People appreciate and notice what we’ve done.”
But he says the most heart-warming endorsement has come from locals.
The Steampacket is proudly embedded in its community, including being the major partner of the beloved Batemans Bay Seahawks Football Club.
The pub’s venue manager, Jake Adams, “is a bit of a football superstar around these parts”, Ben laughs.
“Our partnership with the Seahawks highlights a mutual commitment to community development, strengthening ties between the club and local businesses. It showcases how local support can help build a thriving, inclusive environment for sport and community connection – it’s important to us to support the community,” he says.
“The number of people who’ve personally contacted me to say thank you for bringing our local to life has been so rewarding.
Ben, who also operates The Old Canberra Inn and Dickson Taphouse, loves the easy-going nature of people living close to the coast, as well as the connections forged in a smaller community.
“We have a diverse and friendly staff team and that flows through to everything about the venue,” he says.
“Among the locals, there’s always someone who knows someone who can get things done.”
Heading into the height of summer and with the expected influx of travellers en route to the coast, he’s hoping to entice more people to pull in or plan a visit to the pub at the bottom of the Clyde.
He’s restocked the games box for the Christmas period and is spruiking the advantages of the ridiculously large one-acre carpark.
Those towing campervans and caravans won’t need to manoeuvre their big rigs into any tight corners if they stop at the Steampacket, and there are rooms upstairs if campers want a night out of the van.
From tourists to truck drivers on their regular run up and down the mountain, Ben is unashamedly pushing to put his pub on the map.
“You literally have to drive past us to get to the coast,” he declares.
“Often, once you get to where you’re going, everything’s closed. We just want people to know there’s a great place to stop and rest on the way, family and pet-friendly – or grab takeaway and what you need from the bottle shop, so come in and check us out.”
The Steampacket Hotel can be found at 963 Kings Highway, Nelligen. It’s open seven days a week, from 11:30 am til late.
For more information and what’s on, visit them on Facebook, and get your tickets for the NelliJam Music Festival.
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