By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on August 30, 2018
PORONGURUP local Dan Blythe hopes his new tavern in the mountainous village will become a meeting hub for his community once it opens this weekend.
The Karri on Bar will be officially launched at 11am on Saturday inside the old dining room of Karribank Country Retreat on Porongurup Road after seven months of renovations.
Mr Blythe’s parents, Chris and John have owned the property for the past 21 years and said they were excited and nervous to open the doors of the revamped space.
“We have about 500 people interested in the event on Facebook, which is a bit nerve-wracking,” he said.
“But I’m keen to get going and get to know the community.”
Mr Blythe said he and his father completed the majority of the building work for the new tavern themselves, which included bringing the heritage-listed building in line with current health and safety standards.
“The old restaurant hadn’t been in operation for about eight years, so we extended the bar, put in more toilets, renovated the kitchen, installed a fixed-tap beer system, redid the jarrah floor and furnished it with pool tables and café-style tables,” he said.
“The place is like Sydney Harbour Bridge; you finish one bit and you have to start on another.”
Mr Blythe said the idea for The Karri on Bar came from a desire to return home after being away for 14 years working on the mines.
“I was looking for a way to be back here full-time,” he said.
“When I decided to come back this year, I saw an opportunity to extend the business. There are limited places to eat around here.”
The Karri on Bar will offer wood fire pizzas, sliders and tacos among other pub-style foods on the menu and have local beers and wines from Wilson Brewing Company, Boston Brewery and Porongurup wineries.
Mr Blythe plans to keep trading hours of Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am until close and will later trial opening on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Public submissions regarding the Blythe’s application for a tavern license closed on Monday, but Mr Blythe said he is confident it will be approved in due course.
He said the business is “lucky enough” to have the restaurant license until such time.
