The former Criterion Hotel has been transformed into a warm, inviting Provincial Bistro & Bar complete with a remarkable fit-out of natural timbers and textures. Huge original steel beams are highlighted and fit seamlessly alongside specially imported light fittings, individually designed chairs and barstools draw inspiration from Danish designers and traditional Aix-en-Provence form. A beautiful feature stone wall made from locally sourced Yapeen slate and a staircase of recycled Ash timber, rounds out a stunning interior.

Public Inn’s main attraction, their unique ‘barrel wall’, is complete with six working wine barrels. Goldfields style carafes are the order of the day, with the concept celebrating the region’s wine industry.
Owner and managing director Hayden Winch is a hospitality industry professional having taken his career from Central Victoria to Melbourne, then onto Vietnam, Dubai and Hong Kong.

During his time abroad, he has overseen a number of hotel fit outs while in the position of General Manager for either Hotel Groups or Restaurant Groups. For a small period he worked in an interior design firm in Dubai, to broaden his skills.

Hayden has described the venue as a Provincial Bistro and Bar, and with this theme, the concept was to create a light, comfortable, airy space which had layers of natural texture.
Hayden oversaw the interior design concept and a large portion of the works were carried out by him. Architectural services and Planning liaison was conducted by Archimedia, Melbourne.

The lighting (timber veneer of various shapes) was specially imported from Bangkok and is unique within Australia.

Chairs and furnishings were designed by Hayden, and manufactured from reclaimed mango wood in Indonesia – again totally unique in Australia.

The long communal timber tables are reclaimed Oregon, sandblasted to reveal the grain and then treated. These were constructed by Hayden himself.

The staircase was constructed of reclaimed Mountain Ash, with a design based on a traditional English chestnut paling. These were made by ‘The Shears Method’ – a local Castlemaine timber artist.

And finally the feature ‘barrel wall’ constructed from locally sourced ‘Yapeen’ slate, was designed by Hayden and created by Helen Bodycomb – Australia’s prominent mosaic artist who resides locally in Castlemaine.