Steven and Natt De Rossi want The Punt Hotel to be the beating heart of the town. Photo: The Punt Hotel.
The new owners of Darlington Point’s Punt Hotel are now serving weekend breakfasts, saying they want the venue to be the beating heart of the town and “always open”.
Married couple Steven and Natt De Rossi took ownership of the iconic pub from retired prune grower Bruce Gowrie-Smith in March. Since then, they’ve barely had time to breathe.
“We are open from 10 am to late every day and we offer breakfast on weekends,” Natt said.
“So you don’t have to wonder whether we are open or not.”
The history of the Punt goes back a long way. A fire destroyed the timber pub in 1924, leaving nothing but its chimneys standing. Pastoralist and then-owner James Warby rebuilt it and the current building opened the following year, celebrating its centenary in 2025.
That century of history is reflected in portraits and memorabilia inside the venue, while the De Rossis have introduced a new menu and their own style. At one point, they even offered a Sunday breakfast parmi – a chicken schnitzel topped with garlic sauce, bacon, guacamole, cheese and egg.
The Brekkie Parmi would fix any hangover. Photo: The Punt Hotel.
Region caught up with Natt to find out what brought the couple back to the MIA and their plans for the pub.
Where have you guys come from?
We originated from Yenda, went to school and raised our kids here. I used to work at the Yenda pub. We moved to Queensland, where we lived for 20 years and ran a sports store, and then decided we wanted to come back to this area and own a pub. We live here too.
Why move from Queensland to Darlington Point?
You can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl. Nothing beats the life here.
What changes have you made to the pub?
When we purchased it, it only opened at 4 pm in the afternoon. But we now open every day from 10 am until late.
The menu is back to traditional pub fare – the parmi, the steak sandwich, the fish and chips etc.
Back in the day, the Punt would attract jackaroos, pastoralists and travellers from all over Australia. Is that still the case?
We see people from everywhere. We have the RV spots out the back, so you always have people travelling through.
The other day we had the son of the couple who owned the pub back in the 1950s, so we’re always learning about its history. It’s on the road to Melbourne where people will stop, or before they head to Altina Wildlife Park.
The Punt Hotel in the 1930s. Photo: Warren Murray Old Griffith NSW Album Facebook page.
What are your favourite dishes on the menu?
Steve loves the rissoles; they’re a De Rossi family special. I can’t go past the pork belly.
Do you have any events coming up?
We have a camp cook-off in June, including a whip-cracking competition. There are a couple of gun locals taking part.
We then have Christmas in July and the annual pig races in September. We try to have something special every month.
The crumbed cutlets are another favourite. Photo: Oliver Jacques.
What do you do in your free time?
There’s no such thing. I go to town once a week, in the morning, and I’m back before 10 am to open the pub. We stay open seven days.
We knew it would be hard work. To build the response from the community, they need to trust that we are here for the right reasons. The pub is the heart of Darlington Point and that’s what we want it to be.
The Punt Hotel is located at 5 Punt Road, Darlington Point and is open from 10 am to late weekdays, and 7:30 am to late on weekends. More information about events can be found on its Facebook page.
