Steampacket Hotel sold to Old Canberra Inn's The Meem Collective

The Meem Collective part-owners Ben Johnston and Kalina Koloff bought the iconic Nelligen venueon the Clyde River.

The Meem Collective currently operates Old Canberra Inn, Dickson Taphouse and Queenies Bar in Kingston. The Steampacket Hotel is their first venture into buying pubs.

Mr Johnson is The Meem Collective managing director and said he had driven past the Steampacket Hotel with "so much charm, yet so much potential" thousands of times.

"We are coastal people, Canberra people regularly go to the coast," he said.

"If we can get it on the radar for Canberra people, and give the building some love, there is a lot of opportunity to increase and grow the business."

The Meem Collective will begin managing the hotel in June, and Mr Johnson said he had no intention of reinventing the wheel, but wanted to see the quality and consistency of the Old Canberra Inn rolled out at the new venue.

"There is a great community built around the pub and we want to look after the Nelligen locals," he said.

"The Batemans Bay area is booming. We can be a part of the uplift happening to that area."

He wants to extend the reach of the pub, re-introduce a courtesy bus, expand the beer garden and include more outdoor seating.

Mr Johnson was drawn to the Steampacket's capacity to do live music and would love to see more large events such as the popular Nellijam Festival rolled out year-round.

The menu will replicate that of the Old Canberra Inn, while incorporating local seafood providers.

"Eating fresh seafood by the beach - it's what everyone wants," he said.

The Old Canberra Inn has 10 beers on tap sourced from independently owned breweries. They have a strong relationship with Fyshwick-based Capital Brewing Co.

Mr Johnson is proud of the beers on tap, and said sourcing quality products that were Australian-owned and supported local businesses was important.

On February 26, the Steampacket Hotel is hosting a fundraising day for Rick Christensen - a local boatman who broke five ribs, his sternum and his back in six places, suffered a collapsed lung and received 40 stitches to the back of his head in a recent boating accident.

Capital Brewing Co and Old Canberra Inn are both donating a keg of Capital's coast ale to the event.

Mr Johnson said it was a great opportunity for locals to come and try the beer and support the community.

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