But the new owner Bob Cane said he bought the pub in 2021 as a blank canvas, and he has added every collectible you see.

"After a 25 year career in Aviation, I knew I would eventually be in a hotel or motel," he said.

"I've always been a picker, so I'd been collecting things I liked and now I've got somewhere to put everything I find.

"The light in the foyer I just picked up on a trip to Ballarat, Mum was throwing out the green velvet chair and I grabbed that, a gun-golfer in town gave me his golf sticks to display with my hickory golf sticks and everything else came from anywhere and everywhere."

Initially, the Commercial was not for sale.

Previous owner Zach Robinson spent a considerable amount of time and money restoring the building - overhauling the roof, plumbing, kitchen, bar, carpeting, painting and furnishings.

After two visits from a persistent Bob, Mr Robinson sold the 134-year-old hotel.

The Commercial was built in 1888 but the two-story pub Mr Cane bought was built on the same site in 1928, so "the centenary will be a big celebrations in 2028," he said.

"I am really proud of the pub and the town - we're all town proud," he said.

"I don't put anything kitsch in the main part of the building - kitsch goes straight to the poolroom," he said, borrowing the famous line from the Australian film The Castle.

"And on that window there I might just put a big sign that says, Barman wants a Wife - it worked for the farmer so why not the barman?"

"There'll be endless schnitzels for the lucky contestant" he said laughing.

The pub has nine guest rooms upstairs that are almost ready for use and a ballroom for functions.

The upstairs balcony hosts several permanent 'critters' he found in a local's shed and immediately added them to his collection.

"The other day a guy walked in with some fresh yabbies and someone said, if you cook them up we could eat them at the bar - so we did."

"It's things like this that make the pub so Australian."

The move from Cairns has only one draw-back, he said, there are no ocean views but, "the people make up for that," he said.

"It's probably the first time I've really felt part of a community. I love standing at the bar and looking up the main street through the big window there - it's like an old western movie - true it is!"

Kaniva boasts silo art, a wetlands and fauna park and a mob of coloured sheep that continually graze the median strips and footpaths.

Kaniva's hospitality made headlines during the pandemic as the haven for South Australians unable to cross the border from Victoria, due to restrictions.

Buying the pub during a pandemic had it's challenges.

"I let people park their vans out the back of the hotel, they couldn't go to the caravan park because of the restrictions and I couldn't go anywhere and I couldn't open the bar, so I let them use my amenities and I've remained friends with them ever-since."

The hospitality Mr Cane offers now as the country returns to the new normal, is extended to tourists that pop in asking for directions.

He is keen to point out the attractions in Kaniva and, pull a beer - pour a pint, if they are so inclined.

Former local, Nashy said "I used to play on the stairs and slide down the bannisters when I was kid after school. I was friends with the owners kids, so I spent a lot of time here."

Nashy now lives in Alice Springs and was on his way to Koroit with a stop-off at the Commercial for a chat and to meet the new publican.

Other tales were about to be told, but the historians decided, what happens in the bar should stay in the bar, (for now).