STEPPING through the doors of the Keilor Hotel is like winding back the clock.

Unlike other venues that come and go over the years, this pub certainly has staying power.

The hotel has been on the same site since 1849.

Although it has changed hands more than 30 times over the years, it has been in the present owner Ray Dodd’s family for 147 years.

In its early days the pub prospered as a stopover for weary travellers on their way to the goldfields of Ballarat and Bendigo.

In 1854 it played host to the special constables who had been sent from Melbourne to quell the Eureka Stockade rebellion.

While today the pub boasts a marquee dance floor, when it was first established it was illegal to dance in a hotel, or employ women other than family members.

The pub has enjoyed its fair share of notoriety over the years.

In 1858, two customers staged a duel in the pub grounds and later, well-known gangster Squizzy Taylor fired shots into the ceiling to frighten a debtor into coughing up his dues.

Surprisingly, despite all the history that unfolded within its walls, the hotel doesn’t have a ghost in residence.

“We should have one but as far as I know we don’t,” Mr Dodd said.

But he will admit to being slightly spooked in the cellar on occasion.

And it’s no surprise.

In the days before refrigeration, it was not unusual for pub cellars to be used to house dead bodies until the coroner could examine them.

Although there is no record of the practice at this hotel, Mr Dodd says he wouldn’t be surprised to learn otherwise.

Mr Dodd took over the lease from his father in 1973 and set about restoring the hotel to its former glory.

Today, many of the vestiges of the early days still remain from the original bluestone walls to the fireplaces and ceiling beams.

For Mr Dodd, the hotel will always hold a special place in his heart.

“It’s my heritage,” he said.

“I just love the warmth of the place.

“It almost feels like it hasn’t changed at all.”

The 64-year-old says he has no plans to retire but one day hopes to pass the business on to his two daughters.

“I hope they will carry it on because it has been in the family for almost 150 years,” Mr Dodd said.

“But we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

“Right now, I’m enjoying what I do and I’m not going anywhere just yet.”

The hotel celebrated its 160th birthday last week with a community get-together, including free wine and food tastings.

The hotel is located on the Old Calder Highway in Keilor.