The History of Emerald’s Favourite Local
Nestled in the folds of the Dandenong Ranges, Paradise Valley Hotel has been part of this landscape since 1882 - long before the road was sealed, before the railway was named, before Clematis was Clematis. It began with Michael O'Connor and a wine shop in a valley that settlers were just starting to call home.
By 1903 it had grown into a proper hotel anchoring a community finding its feet in the ranges. When the nearby railway station was renamed Clematis in 1921, the hotel held its ground. It kept its name. It kept its character. Some things are worth protecting.
Clematis in its early days — horse-drawn carts, a general store and a community just finding its feet in the Ranges. This was the world The Clemo was born into. | Photo: Lost Emerald
The Hotel Takes Shape (early 1900s)
Through the decades that followed, The Clemo - as locals have always called it, watched the Ranges change around it. The landslide of 1953. The road construction of 1975. Steam trains winding through the valley below. Generations of families arriving, staying longer than they planned, coming back.
That original sign still stands on the roof today. Updated logo. Same soul.
The Paradise Valley Hotel watching over the valley below as a steam train passes through — a view that has defined this place for over a century. | Photo: Lost Emerald
The Fifties
A communal hub in the Ranges
By the 1950s The Clemo had become a true gathering place — locals sharing cold beverages on the outside verandah, familiar faces always around. It was the kind of pub where everyone knew your name and the bank was always cool.
"In the Fifties - The Old Paradise." Joe happy on the old verandah. | Photo: Lost Emerald
The Road Construction (1975)
Half road closed. The pub stayed open.
In 1975 PVH watched as the Belgrave-Gembrook road was lowered and reconstructed around it. Detour signs out front. Construction dust in the air. The pub endured.
Detour signs and a felled tree - the road works of 1975. | Photo: Lost Emerald
The Emerald community - sport, mateship and a local pub at the heart of it. | Photo: Lost Emerald
VB on the sign. Foster's Lager on the wall. Orange Holdens in the car park. The road changed the pub endured. | Photo: Lost Emerald
Through the Decades
What We Believe
Over 140 years on, the way we think about hospitality hasn't changed much. Simple. Seasonal. Made from scratch.
We believe what we eat, where it comes from and how it's prepared has a direct and powerful impact on the health of people, communities and the environment. So we're transparent about our suppliers. We source the highest quality local produce. We cook honestly and with care.
We're not just in the business of feeding people. We're in the business of nourishing them.
The beer garden still looks out over the valley. The Puffing Billy still winds through below. And The Clemo is still here — doing what it has always done.
Welcoming everyone who finds their way up the hill.
