Federal Hotel Mt Gambier

Been a long time since I stayed in a pub. A lot to be said for it, mind you. A beer and good food right next door. Stacks of parking. Friendly pub-staff – although it has to be said that everybody in Mt Gambier is friendly. The rooms at the Federal are a mixture of new and old. Practical rather than pretty. Clean, everything works. Pretty sure my last pub stay was in a room like this. Nostalgia. Just one little thing. On check-in, a friendly lady insisted on taking a copy of my driver’s license - company policy. The Australian Privacy Act says that vendors may only take a copy of documents where it is essential to their business. Private details are not essential to the Federal Hotel’s business and they shouldn’t be asking.

Very clean lodgings and cosy with everything we needed. Good location in the main street and well priced. Staff were very friendly and approachable. As per other reviews the rooms are a little noisy at times due to the traffic, definitely not unbearable and the hotel even provides ear buds if the noise gets too much

Earlier this year, I stayed at Nightcap at the Federal Hotel for one night while visiting Mount Gambier. I did not have high expectations. Online reviews for this venue are decidedly mixed, with many criticising the noise level (this hotel is a part of the Federal Hotel, a pub that could be quite raucous on some days). Arriving at the hotel, the relatively dated building facade and reception did not inspire confidence. Still, I was pleasantly surprised to find a clean, modern, and reasonably commodious room (note: I booked the studio with two queen beds, which are somewhat larger at 25 square meters, do not book the cheapest queen studio rooms- some of those are very diminutive at just 10 square metres) with comfortable beds and decent bathrooms. There was a bit of noise, but it was neither intolerable nor exceedingly vexing. However, the food on offer at the Federal Hotel is profusely mediocre. The beef schnitzel was chewy, devoid of flavour, and overcooked. Likewise, I also ordered a roast of the day, which included steamed beans, peas, broccoli, corn, pumpkin, potatoes, and carrots. This meal was again bland and unsatisfactory. The corn was overcooked, the broccoli was especially insipid (and not fresh), and the potatoes also lacked flavour; the other vegetables were unremarkable but not as poor. (On the other hand, the staff were friendly and courteous). Overall, I would recommend the hotel but would suggest dining somewhere else.