If you have been to Australia before, you will know that the country is extremely large. You can drive for miles and miles and not see another car or a township. In a country of comparable size to the United States and Brazil it only has seven states and territories. Our home state of South Australia has some incredible wildlife and natural phenomenon’s that are hard to miss.
Our road trip down to the South East of the state takes us to beautiful Mount Gambier. The reason for our long drive is to check out the amazing Ghost mushrooms in the pine forests, Umpherston sinkhole and the limestone caves. Whilst here we also stop into the Federal Hotel and their House of Schnitzel.
First built-in 1856 and operating as the Federal Hotel since 1914, the Federal offers meals and accommodation to visitors to Mount Gambier. Rated a 3-star hotel the Federal offers affordable rooms, to visitors staying in town. We didn’t stay here this trip, instead opting to stay at the Old Mount Gambier Gaol. So, we will leave a review of the accommodation for another time.
The Federal Hotel is your normal pub, offering standard pub fare. Apart from the normal food choices their speciality is the beef or chicken schnitzel. With an astonishing eighteen different topping options the Federal Hotel prides itself on satisfying your schnitzel needs. Try the standard parmigiana topping, the Miss Piggy or the King Avocado. Alternatively, if you are courageous enough you can try their Ultimate Food Challenge to consume 1.2 kilograms of schnitzel and potato wedges. Do you think you can beat the best time of 8 minutes and fifty-two seconds?
We were sensible and decided to order three half schnitzels, one topped with gravy, one with mushroom sauce and the last one being a Texas Meatlovers. Each meal purchase comes with access to the hotels salad bar, which is frequently refilled with various vegetable and salad options.
The three schnitzels were of a decent size but weren’t anything fantastic. They were good everyday pub schnitzels with different toppings and a side of hot chips. We did opt for the smaller portion, which in my opinion was a good choice as a larger one would need a healthy appetite.
The hotel interior is fairly standard with table and seats spaced out around the room. The dining area also has a bar and children’s playroom, fit with an indoor climbing pod and slippery dip.
The Federal Hotel is just your standard country pub, with a range of meals. If you decide you’re not keen on having a schnitzel they do have other options that you might prefer. The prices are affordable, and they do half price or two for one meals on certain days throughout the week. So, pop into the Federal Hotel when you’re in Mount Gambier and tell them Simon from Ourworldinreview sent you!
Additional Information for Federal Hotel, Mount Gambier
Address: 112 Commercial St E, Mount Gambier SA 5290
Ph: (08) 8723 1099
Website: www.thefederalhotel.com.au
Accommodation AUD$55 – AUD$145 (US$40 – US$107) or (€35 – €93)
GENERAL OPENING HOURS
Sun – Mon 9am – 10pm
Tue – Thu 9am – 11pm
Fri – Sat 9am – 12am
BISTRO
Lunch: Every Day 11:30am – 2pm
Dinner: Sun – Thu 5:30pm – 8pm
Dinner: Fri – Sat 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Main Meal Price Range: AUD$16.00 – AUD$32.00 (€10.30 – €20.60)
Check out these fantastic accommodation options in Mount Gambier.
Federal Hotel rating: 1-10 (1=very poor, 10 = excellent)
Decor =6
Atmosphere =6
Service =7
Price = 9
Food =7
Overall = 7
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