Category Archives: Pubs

GHOSTS OF GWALIA

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Gwalia, once the second biggest gold mining town in WA, is now almost deserted. The “Sons of Gwalia” mine closed in 1963 and the population of over 1500 disappeared overnight. The first mine manager, 23 year old Herbert Hoover, brought in cheap Italian labor to help make the mine profitable.  Hoover went on to become the 31st president of the USA. Most of the abandoned cottages built by the workers are still in good condition thanks to the hot, dry climate.

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Gwalia’s State Hotel was the first state owned pub in WA. Built to counter the sly grog trade in the town, it is a stark contrast to the makeshift dwellings of the workers.

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The Sons of Gwalia mine has since reopened and, judging by the size of the hole in the ground, must be doing fairly well.

KALGOORLIE / COOLGARDIE

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kalgoorlie map

Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie are the two major towns in WA’s Southern Goldfields. They are both typical of the over the top gold mining towns of the late 1800’s. The banks, government buildings and, most noticeably, the pubs are all very impressive and contrast sharply with the humble dwellings constructed by the miners.

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One of the more spectacular gardens in Coolgardie relies less on water and more on discarded junk to keep it vibrant and attractive

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The main streets in Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie are wide enough to land a jumbo jet on. Apparently they had to be that width to turn a camel train around.

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Frightening statue of man trying to turn around a camel train. – Coolgardie

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Interesting tall corrugated iron building – Coolgardie

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Attractive stone government building – Coolgardie

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Coolgardie RSL and Marvel Bar Hotel

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One of Kalgoorlie’s more spectacular hotels

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Exchange Hotel in the center of Kalgoorlie

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Metropole  Hotel in the Boulder district on the outskirts of Kalgoorlie

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Court Hotel – Boulder

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A couple of hundred kilometres north of Kalgoorlie things are a little less opulent. The Kookynie hotel is the only remaining business in town. The faded for sale sign on the wall suggest its days may be numbered.

FREO

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Freo (West Australian for Fremantle) was the old, original settlement in WA, before Perth developed. Miraculously, many of the old buildings remain and have been well preserved.

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Not just individual buildings remain in tact, but whole streetscapes have been saved.

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In the downtown area there are beautiful examples of renovated Georgian and Victorian architecture .

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Great shops and lots of cafes and bars are scattered about the main part of town.

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Gothic picnic table lurking outside a Freo church

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One of the interesting features of “Freo” is the Little Creatures Brewery. Great beer and food in a fantastic waterfront location.

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They even hire out bikes for free to help patrons wobble home

PUBS – 2

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GROVE HILL HOTEL

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Whipping along the Stuart Highway north of Pine Creek, we saw a sign pointing to Grove Hill Hotel. We figured it must be a pretty impressive pub – the sign said “HISTORICAL” so off we went along a twisting dirt road to Grove Hill.

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At first sight the pub didn’t look that impressive. The garden was struggling, paint peeling and “New Ownership” sign, badly faded, but we went in anyway.

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The foyer was an elegant mixture of art deco and Territorian casual. We made our way through to the bar and ordered some drinks before wandering through the rest of the pub.

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The bar served a variety of beers in either cans or stubbies.

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The dining room – simple and tastefully decorated.

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Each table displayed a magnificent arrangement of artifical flowers.

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The bedrooms were comfortable and inviting.

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Keeping everything running smoothly required some fairly sophisticated, high-tech equipment.

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A piano accordian on the sideboard looked to have provided hours and hours years and years of first rate entertainment.

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Out the back, the matinence shed contained all the necessary tools to keep everything in ship shape condition.

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There was even a ride on mower to keep the grounds immaculate.

The car park is always a good indicator of the quality of a hotel. Looking at Grove Hill’s car park, it appears a lot of patrons arrive, park their car and never leave – and who could blame them.

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So next time you happen to be whipping along the Stuart Highway north of  Pine Creek, take the detour to Grove Hill Hotel.

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They even offer camping and budget accommodation.

PUBS

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Croydon sprang up in the 1880’s. It was a gold rush town, swelling to over 7000 people and 122 pubs. The Club Hotel is the sole survivor, which gives a clue to the quality of their beer. It’s a typical Queensland pub of the era – all timber, high ceilings, wide veranda with outside seats. a great place for a beer and a meal.

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Normanton’s “Purple Pub” is built in the same wide veranda, high ceiling style, but is an unusual combination of two separately roofed buildings. I doubt it was called the purple pub when it was built in the late 1800’s –  purple wasn’t invented till way after that. It’s now the best known landmark in town.

A green butchery has sprung up since we were last there, but it doesn’t seem to be attracting near as much attention.

Mt Morgan 1

This is a shot I took of the National Hotel, Mt Morgan back in the early 80’s. It was a great pub with lots of character. I went back to Mt Morgan 5 years later, intending to stay in the National, only to find it had been converted to a Methodist Church!

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Returning to Mt Morgan this trip, we drove up the hill to see what had become of the old pub.

Well, the Methodist  church had vacated and it was now a private residence. What a shame, such a great example of over the top, goldrush, hotel architecture should have drifted away from it’s intended purpose.

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Daly Waters Pub is one of the NT’s most famous. Built  on a busy droving route in the 1930’s, it was once a watering hole for thirsty cattlemen. Today it attracts tourists from all over the world. There are walls adorned with signed thongs, bras, knickers and foreign banknotes, marking the travels of thousands of visitors enjoying a rowdy beer.

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Couldn’t resist taking a photo of this colour coordinated lady taking a photo of someone drinking a pint outside the pub.