Peter Aroutsidis, happy owner of Zeus’s Bar & Grill in the old, possibly haunted, Tullimbah Inn. Photo: Karen Lateo.
When weather forecasts warn of a “weather event” or “rain bomb,” Peter Aroutsidis says a prayer. He directs it to his personal God and to ancient Greek deity Zeus, just to hedge his bets.
The “grand opening” of his first restaurant venture, Zeus’s Bar & Grill in Tullimbar, was set for 6 April this year. But overnight, 191 mm of rain smashed the Albion Park area, with torrential flooding destroying many properties.
“I came to the restaurant that morning and there was nothing wrong. I thought, ‘Great. We didn’t get affected,” Peter recalled.
“Then I started hearing a gurgling sound from the toilet area, from the floor drain. I thought, ‘That’s odd’. I turned around and here’s all this water coming. So I raced to grab the mop and swept it into the toilet, hoping it wouldn’t hit the carpet.
“But it got bigger, faster and faster. All of a sudden, it was like a big wave and it just came through the whole restaurant in minutes.”
It took an hour for the floodwater to recede. “It was so depressing. I’d poured all this money into the place and then that happened.”
To his surprise, Peter started receiving calls and texts, asking whether he’d been hit. “All my mates came to help. By the time the water receded at two o’clock that afternoon, the whole place was cleaned up.”
In the spirit of great Greek tragedies, that wasn’t the end of Peter’s woes. The restaurant’s brand new carpeting couldn’t be dried and had to be replaced. Then he discovered a previous tenant had tipped cooking oil down the kitchen sink, requiring repairs. A new opening date was set for 20 April. Eager customers flocked in, anticipating a huge Greek celebration.
“It was a disaster! The flooding had caused more damage than we thought. Water got into the gas line, filled up the regulators. There goes our chargrill and our main fryer!” Patrons had to be turned away.
“I thought, ‘Is this place cursed, or is it haunted, or does someone not want me to be here?’ So I turned to God … and I did ask Zeus for a hand, too. Just asking to give us a break.”
Now that the cafe-restaurant is up and running, Peter looks on that time and laughs. “I wasn’t going to let it beat me,” he declared. “You go harder, or you don’t go at all.”
Peter has lived by that philosophy since a devastating 2020 accident, when a car ran his motorbike off the road. “I used to be a truck driver, but doctors won’t allow me to get in the truck now because I’ve got spinal injuries,” he explained.
He turned to a long-held dream: a hospitality business. He had fond childhood memories of his parents’ Wollongong Greek restaurant, Yianni’s. In January 2022, he opened a tiny takeaway shop, Zeus’s Souvla, in Albion Park.
Tasting success, Peter set his sights higher when he heard the old Tullimbah Inn was up for rent. “I saw the potential in the place: mini weddings, Christmas parties … you could do anything. The equipment from the shop completed the kitchen, so I decided to do it.”
Longevity seems to be on Peter’s side, as signage painted on the prominent Tongara Road building suggests it dates to 1860. However, that’s not entirely accurate.
“I assume one of the early restaurant owners painted the incorrect date on the sign,” said Tamara Hynd, Shellharbour City Museum curator. “I suppose a restaurant owner named it ‘Tullimbah Inn’ and added the date – probably believing, in good faith, they were reflecting the heritage of the building.”
It does, up to a point. In 1856, records first refer to a store on the site, run by Robert Wilson. It changed hands to Joseph Dunster, then on to Thomas Davis. The store, post office and private residence were bought by Daniel Fraser in 1882.
However, the Tongarra Museum cites a report of a terrible fire that year, which destroyed the original building and led to the construction of “a much more ornate and commodious structure”.
That’s the inn of today, standing on the site of the original store. Over the years it’s been home to several families, including the Sawtell and Aitken clans. Tamara understands the Aitkens dubbed the home “Tullimbar” – not Tullimbah.
“The suburb of Tullimbar was named after an Aboriginal man who camped in the Macquarie Valley. His name has been variously spelt as Tullumbah, Tullimbar, Thullimbar. The suburb has also been spelt in various ways over many years,” Tamara clarified the confusion.
The building became a culinary destination in the 1960s. According to Lost Wollongong Facebook group contributors, restaurateurs Walter and Otti Brunner first traded there as the Austrian-themed White Horse Inn.
Posts state that, in the 1980s, Davide and Sandra Cosser later turned the venue French. Further records are sketchy though; more recently, seafood restaurant the Lost Lobster ran there from 2019 until the COVID hospitality downturn in late 2022. Its successor, barbecue joint All The Smoke, lasted a few months.
Then came Zeus’s. Without any formal training, Peter began as cook and manager, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a menu partly based on his mother’s Greek recipes. Now the kitchen is run by chef Robert May, and Peter hosts a busy, buzzy diary of trivia nights, open mic gigs and karaoke.
“I like entertaining people, keeping them happy and satisfied – I get a real kick out of it,” Peter beamed.
As for that fear of a haunted inn, he’s now at peace with it. “I can sense someone here. I chat with them. Sometimes it’s freezing outside, but in here there’s a nice, warm breeze – without the heating on.
“I think we’re friends now.”
Zeus’s Bar & Grill is at 2465 Illawarra Highway, Tullimbar, 4231 9488. It’s open from 7 am – 2 pm Tues-Fri, 4 pm till late Thurs-Sat, and is available to book on Sundays. Visit Facebook for updates.
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