Our Story

The Bunyip Hotel has been an institution in Cavendish since the 1840s and has had a long line of publicans who have taken the helm. After many ups and downs, James Campbell and Matt Nettleton have formed a partnership that they hope will not only deliver great food, beer and wine to the people of Cavendish, but also to be the caretakers of this iconic local watering hole.

Our aim is to deliver delicious, locally grown meals in a true country pub setting.
Our produce is sourced from local producers and we pride ourselves on developing relationships with these suppliers. We are also lucky to receive produce from the gardens of the residents of Cavendish and surrounds, which allows our menu to adapt and change to what is ripe, in season and filled with flavour.

T H E T E A M

James Campbell - Owner/Executive Chef

Front of House Staff

Elisha Nettleton - Owner/Social Media Chick

Matt Nettleton - Owner/Front of House

Sebastian Eales - Chef

Elisha - The Work Mum/Wife

Elisha might not often be seen during business hours, but her position is simple. Keep the boys of the Bunyip organised and generally on task. In spare moments she is also busy keeping on top of The Bunyip's social media ramblings on Facebook and Instagram.

He James - The Shearing Chef

He has moved home to Mooralla and now James Campbell is using his cooking skills at his local, rather than in the big city, good news for us! He dances, he sings (off-tune), and shears sheep on his days off, but most importantly the food that comes out of his kitchen is delicious, local and mostly inspired by good country cooking.

Seb - Jimmy's Right Hand Man

We welcomed chef Sebastian Eales to the team in 2020 and he couldn't be more suited to life in The Bunyip kitchen. Unfortunately he sings just as off tune as Jimmy and tells even worse jokes, but his cooking skills are on point and we honestly aren't sure how we ever survived without him!

Bryden - The Guy Down The Back

If you look into The Bunyip kitchen window you will see someone very busily doing all the very fiddly jobs that make Jimmy and Seb look good! Bryden comes to us from Ararat and his love of cooking is something that cannot be missed and we are so glad he sent out a random e-mail hoping we would let him come and learn for a couple days... and now he's a full time staff member! He's still adjusting to Jimmy and Seb's humour though.

Matt - The Bar Man

Most people would know him as the man behind the bar, and fair enough, he pours a mean pint and knows how to shake a cocktail. The whole truth is he runs all the finer details and keeps things in order behind the scenes when the pub is closed.

Front of House Staff

We have an incredible group of locals who work in our bar and kitchen to give you the best experience possible when you are at The Bunyip. They are a mix of local high school students, hospitality veterans and people who just really like to pour a beer and have a chat!