This 19th-century South Coast pub, treated like an artist's canvas, is for sale

After an 11-year love affair with the renowned Far South Coast pub, the Robbie Burns Hotel, owner Ms Pye said it was finally time for a new custodian to step in.

The hotel rests tucked away beneath Mount Darragh on Wyndham's main road and has recently been listed for sale through @realty agent Greg Robson.

Dating back to the mid-1800s, the historic building has been meticulously curated, restored, extended and thoughtfully updated by Ms Pye, turning it into an exotic feast for the eyes and a haven for curious minds.

The designer-artist, and hotel licensee, Ms Pye said she moved to the Far South Coast after returning to the country following eight years living in a spiritual ashram in India, her second home.

"The building spoke to me. I fell in love with the area. I had no need to buy a hotel as it was not something I wanted to do - I had been imagining building something off grid, but what I looked at fell through," Ms Pye told Bega District News.

"I realised it was like a big old ship that had the bones of what it had been with the hardwood timber, and I thought I'd save it before it fell into the ground."

Many hotels opened around 1860 were developed to service travellers making their way to the Kiandra goldfield, the highest goldfield in Australia, 90 kilometres north-west of Cooma on the Snowy Mountains Highway.

Built by its inaugural owner, Robert Turbet, the Scottish Chieftain Inn (also recorded as the Scottish Chief) stood on what is now the Robbie Burns site.

When fire destroyed the inn in 1865, Mr Turbet rebuilt on the same grounds using his £500 insurance payout.

Before Ms Pye took over, the premises remained in the Turbet family for almost a century.

"I feel that when Robert and Mary Turbet built it around the mid-1800s, it would have been for travellers," Ms Pye said.

"For letting people feed their horses, water their bullocks, and rest up by having a safe night with comfy sleep and a home-cooked meal, so I've kind of taken that approach."

With a maximalist aesthetic, a style that embraces a design of abundance and self-expression through the motto "more is more" - Ms Pye has steered clear of "white on white with a bit of grey" and embraced her own vision.

"I've tried to make it comfortable and interesting so that people will slow down, stop, arrive, and naturally stay," she said.

"I just wanted to make it a beautiful destination where people connect and share their incredible stories."

"Different times of the day there's a perfect location to be in. In the nook in the corner of the back deck, it's perfect first thing in the morning when the sun hits it.

"While the sunroom attached to the 'Garden of Divine Intoxication' is the ideal spot for meditation in full Eastern sunlight."

Some of the hotel's key features include its six bedrooms, five bathrooms and five open fireplaces, plus an entertainment garden with stage, large outdoor dining deck with north-facing scenic views, and its bar area.

When Ms Pye purchased the building, her overhaul went far deeper than stripping away aged timber, mountainous layers of paint, or toothbrush-scrubbed corner dust. She completely renewed its spirit through Eastern mysticism.

"I've talked about paranormal universes for a very long time. The Robbie Burns was full of entities," she said.

"Recently, I had some paranormal cleaners come and stay here when they were doing a job in this area.

"When the psychic and the head witch came in, they said 'What have you done? This place is so full of love'."

Confirming that the historic Wyndham waterhole had been listed for sale, Ms Pye voiced her hope for its future, noting the next chapter should begin with someone who "really loves the idea of the beauty of the pristine landscape but also hospitality."

Her reason for moving was summed up in two words: "My kids".

"My kids are in Sydney and they're not going to move because they've got careers and growing their families, so we had a conversation that basically said I needed to live within three hours of Sydney," Ms Pye said.

"I felt like I've done what I could do here and I could see the result of it, with the build, all the beautiful people I've met, by creating a safe space, and the fun of putting on events."

The property at 36 Monaro Street, Wyndham, has been listed for $1.8 million to 1.98 million.

For more information, contact Greg Robson on 0407 773 881 or visit: atrealty.com.au/36-monaro-street-wyndham-nsw-2550-76578/