The pair had left behind their conventional lives, and jobs, in Albury-Wodonga to fulfil a long-held ambition to run a family business together.

"I'd always wanted a little country hotel and this one was on the go at the time and we just seized the opportunity," Paul Beesley said.

The Beesleys recently put the hotel on the market with plans to undertake another business venture but they both say they have enjoyed their time in a pub that is so much part of a close-knit community.

"I reckon this is the best job in the world because you get to meet a lot of people from all walks of life," Mr Beesley said.

"The community here are really good.

"We found them very supportive early and they really like to have their hotel and want to be able to keep it as a viable business.

"Obviously you've got to have the good beer and good food to go with it."

Opened in 1852 nearby as the Piney Ridge Hotel, the pub burnt down and was rebuilt at its present location but burnt down again to reopen in 1907 as the Walbundrie Hotel.

"If you get underneath you can see the old burnt stumps," Mr Beesley says.

The hotel, which has a four-bedroom residence attached, has been refurbished by the Beesleys.