Neil Rankin sits under a bricked archway surrounded by structural beams. Computer tablet in hand, he studies a sepia image of Eden's Hotel Australasia from the screen, comparing it to the restoration works before him, ensuring they mimic the original.
Satisfied, he takes his morning smoko and sits on a nearby dusty, wooden beam surrounded by rubble, in what was once the heart of the building.
"Every time we pull down some render, we find some old scars where the windows and arches used to be," he said.
"It's going to be within a millimetre of how it was when it was built in 1904."
The historic landmark was once a popular pub for fishermen in the 1980s and was bought by the Bega Valley Shire Council in 2016 following community concerns it would be demolished.
It was then sold to Mr Rankin in March 2020 to restore the heritage-registered hotel to its former glory, with an added brewery to boot.
The two-storey frame now sits in the centre of Imlay Street, shrouded in structural beams and a blue tarp.
Passers-by are not privy to the project's renovations from the front, but the view from the back of the block is exposed, resembling a shell of what the building once was.
"It's a magnificent building," he said.
"There's a lot of problems with it. The floors are rotted out and a lot has to be replaced.
"But the actual bones of the building are fine, in excellent condition … it was really worth the save."
Not a rush job
Its restoration has been highly-anticipated by the locals of Eden who, like many towns across New South Wales, are experiencing the economic fall-out of the bushfires and COVID-19.
The lull of the cruise ship season dampened the tourist dollar, and there are community concerns about the future of businesses at local wharf, following the recent closure of the Sapphire Coast Eden Marine Discovery centre.
Although aware of the project's importance in boosting tourism to the town, Mr Rankin was not putting too much pressure on finishing the job.
"I don't want to rush it," he said.
"Being a commercial builder, you have to be on top of schedules and budgets — this has neither.
"It will take time and cost what it's going to cost."
The project has appointed specialist renderer and plasterer Mark Upton, who is currently constructing the concrete tiers, dotted along the building's trim, by hand.
He admitted it was slow work, but hoped it will put Eden on the map once more.
"Most of these buildings get pulled down over the years and our kids have got nothing to look at," he said.
"It gives a real identity to the town at last.
"I think that identity had been lost since it was covered up."
