Thank goodness for the Corrigin Hotel

WA country pubs are like country bakeries: every town used to have two great ones to choose from. But they’ve followed the same path, now neither is guaranteed, and in fact, there may be several communities between the great ones. I’m reflecting on this while nursing an icy cold pint at a great one, the Corrigin Hotel, at the end of my first day of an epic around Australia trip. It’s been a shaky start, thanks to my ute’s alternator deciding to pack it in just as I drove away from my home this morning. A handy mate convinces me he can easily swap it out and have me on the road by the afternoon. “Nothing’s ever easy,” my neighbour accurately sums up as he sees us under the bonnet. He saw me driving off this morning. It turns out to be a blessing, as now I know I’ll park up opposite the Corrigin Hotel for the night. You could always do that even before the town officially became RV Friendly, meaning you can stay anywhere between 24 and 72 hours in designated areas, free of charge. The Corrigin pub stands grandly on a corner along the main drag of the Wheatbelt town, less than 300km east of Perth. After a quick set up of The Penguin camper and walk of my dog, Mallee, I stroll through the pub’s doors, to be instantly greeted by a smiling Scotty Coppen, the owner and passionate local businessman. He recognises me from past visits. “Don’t forget your surfboard this time mate,” he says, recalling when I drove off to Esperance forgetting I’d stashed my board under my van and driven off without it. He tracked me down on Facebook to let me know. It’s that small town hospitality that makes walking in here feel familiar and welcoming. The wood fire is flicking in the corner, a couple of workers are playing pool, a few old blokes sit on what I suspect are the same seats they always use, calling Scotty by his name when ordering another beer. He is already pouring it before they ask. There’s lots of chat about the torrential soaking the town got the day before. The tanks are full and the ground is quenched. I saw the remnants still on show in temporary waterholes along Brookton Highway. A young fella comes up beside me. He’s just knocked off work and orders a six pack, take away. Scotty asks about his mate, who got injured in the footy game at the weekend. The Corrigin is truly a “public house” . . . the beating heart of this regional WA community. After my local pork chop and veggies I’m chatting with a bunch from the UK. They all work at the Corrigin Hotel and have this Monday night off. In this time of white-hot competition for workers, I ask them why they chose here. “Corrigin is like a big family,” Ciara tells me. “Everyone cares about everyone.” She’s originally from Dublin and is the manager of the hotel. “I only came here for four weeks and I’ve been here seven years after getting sponsored. Leaving here would now feel like leaving home. I went on a holiday recently and I came back and everyone said they missed me.” Another Ciara, also from Dublin, says the fact they get to live in houses, instead of hotel rooms, is a huge plus. The job certainly hasn’t lived up to backpacker stereotypes. She says: “I heard really bad things about the 88 days we have to work in regional Australia for our visa — terrible accommodation, the way staff are treated. But the staff and locals here instantly welcomed me when I started, this isn’t what I had heard. I’m now staying to work for six months instead of three.” It’s a mellow Monday evening and things are wrapping up. The last old bloke tips his schooner on its side to signal he’s done: “Seeya Scotty”. I am too and Scotty tops up my water bottles from the tap and says to make sure I drop in on the way back. Too right.