Walter Leslie Rutherford, and his wife, Josephine, acquired the freehold and lease of the Prince of Wales Hotel at Blackall, south-east of Longreach, Queensland, in 1937. Wally, as he was known, was 48 when he was killed in the freak… Read More ›
Queensland hotels
Oddities Among Australia’s Outback Inns
By BILL BEATTY DESERTED homesteads in the outback country are by no means uncommon, but a deserted hotel – fully furnished – is a novelty, at least in these days. Yet there is such a hotel near the old mining township… Read More ›
Prosperous and thirsty town
A recent visitor to Mt. Isa (Q.) says it is the only town he has ever been in for the past three years in which there was no talk of depression. There, he saw thirsty miners being allowed into a hotel bar in relays…. Read More ›
The Transcontinental Hotel, Brisbane
THE Transcontinental Hotel was constructed in 1883-4. In 1879 Peter Murphy, wine and spirit merchant, leased premises in George Street from Francois Boudin. In 1881 he acquired the adjoining vacant land. On 28 August 1883 Peter Murphy, then publican and… Read More ›
It’s shabby but they love it: Brisbane’s Queen’s Hotel
The Queen’s Hotel traded at the corner of Charlotte and Creek Streets, Brisbane from 1865 to the late 1970s. The pub was established by a well-known ‘blackbirder’, Henry Lynde. On the eve of the historic’ pub’s demolition, The Brisbane Sunday… Read More ›
The many ghosts of Drayton’s Royal Bull’s Head Inn
The Royal Bull’s Head Inn is reputably haunted by more than half a dozen ghosts! Frances Lynch, who was the postmistress at the former pub for over half a century, is said to be one of eight ghosts haunting the… Read More ›
The O’Briens and Mossman’s Exchange Hotel
By MICK ROBERTS © IN August 2014 we visited the northern Queensland township of Mossman where we stopped by the magnificent Exchange Hotel. This pub dominates the streetscape, and dates back to 1896. The Exchange Hotel at Mossman was built… Read More ›
When the beer drought ended: They rushed this hotel
Beer rationing during the war years – and for some years after – caused a frenzied rush to the bar when publicans announced that they had secured a supply of the amber nectar. For more on beer shortages visit the Time… Read More ›