What it is
The Aireys Pub is the pub at Aireys Inlet, at 45 Great Ocean Road, and Salt Brewing Co. is the brewery in the back of it. You drink the beer a few metres from where it's made, in a pub with a big stone fireplace for winter and a beer garden for summer.
It's a family pub as much as a brewery. Kids are welcome, dogs are welcome, and there's a chicken parma on the menu. It makes an easy lunch stop on a drive down the Great Ocean Road, or an early dinner after a walk up to the lighthouse.
The pub the town bought
The pub opened in 1904, decades before the Great Ocean Road was built. The Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 tore through Aireys Inlet and the pub, but within a week someone had a makeshift bar going in the back shed.
In 2011 the pub closed and went on the market, and locals didn't want to see it bulldozed for housing. So a group of locals got some mates together, pitched in and bought it, then renovated it. When the big beer companies told them what they had to put on tap, they built their own brewery instead, in the back of the pub, in 2014.
The beer
Salt has two full-time brewers and uses Australian ingredients. The pub says it makes "genuine draught, crisp lagers, an epic stout and seasonal varieties".
Salt Lager
The main beer, an award-winning European-style lager. Easy to drink after a day at the beach.
Moby Pale Ale
A classic pale. Ten per cent of the profits go to Sea Shepherd, hence "drink a pale to save a whale".
Ink
A coffee-infused stout, for the fire on a cold night.
To take away
The beers are on tap at the pub and sold to take away, and you'll find them in a few local bars and bottle shops too.
Photo: Rob Blackburn,
courtesy of Visit Victoria 
Photo: Rob Blackburn,
courtesy of Visit Victoria Food, music, kids and dogs
The menu is pub food made with Victorian produce: chicken parmas, bar snacks and the like, plus local wine and cocktails (the espresso martini is a favourite). Takeaway is available too.
There's free live music every Saturday night, more over summer, and bands, comedy and solo acts through the year. The big screens show the footy. The pub calls itself kid friendly and dog friendly, so the dog can come in from the beach with you. The beer garden is the best spot for both.
The pub also tries to do its bit: a 40 kW solar system on the roof, spent grain going to feed horses up the road, food scraps to the Aireys Community Garden, and good luck finding a plastic straw.
Hours
When we checked in October 2026, the pub's website said it was open seven days from midday till late. For what's on, see the Aireys Pub website. In January and on long weekends it gets busy, so go a little early for lunch.
Getting there and making a day of it
Aireys Inlet is about half an hour from north Torquay, down the Great Ocean Road through Anglesea. The pub is on the main road as you come into town. If you're having more than one, sort out a driver, because the road home is dark and winding, and you'll want to watch for kangaroos.
Make a day of it. Walk up to the Split Point Lighthouse, wander along the beach, then have lunch at the pub. Or keep going to Lorne and stop here on the way home. Our Aireys Inlet guide has the rest of the town.
Salt Brewing and the Aireys Pub FAQ
Where is Salt Brewing Co.?
At the Aireys Pub, 45 Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet. The brewery is in the back of the pub.
How far is it from Torquay?
About half an hour from north Torquay along the Great Ocean Road.
Is it open every day?
The pub says it's open seven days, from midday till late.
Can I bring kids and the dog?
Yes. The pub says it's kid friendly and dog friendly.
Is there live music?
Free live music every Saturday night, and more over summer.
What's the Moby Pale Ale?
Salt's pale ale. Ten per cent of its profits go to Sea Shepherd.
For the breweries back in town, see our Torquay breweries guide. Heading inland instead? Forrest Brewing is up in the Otways, and our Deans Marsh guide covers the inland road. Staying in north Torquay? Check dates at Holyday House.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 19 October 2026. Opening hours, patrols, rules and closures change — check with the source before you go.
- About us — Aireys Pub (official)
- Aireys Pub — Aireys Pub (official)
- Events — Aireys Pub (official)
- Salt Brewing Co. — Visit Great Ocean Road