Post Office Hotel

Not surprisingly, the ‘Post Office Hotel’ is located on the opposite corner from the Post Office, on Wharf and Bazaar Street. This building replaced a low-set timber hotel built in 1870. In May 1889, the licencing commission refused to renew the hotel licence for the old building because it did not contain the required accommodation. The owners Messrs Hanley and Williams commissioned a new design from Brisbane Architect Victor Carandini. He had designed the Royal Bank in Kent Street which was almost completed at that time. Although the date 1889 features on the entrance corner parapet, the building was not opened until 21 March 1890. The two-storeyed hotel had shops on the ground floor facing Bazaar Street. The public bar was described as the largest in town and featured polished pine and cedar with coloured glass screens at one end. The spacious dining room joined the private bar facing Wharf Street. A carved timber staircase led to the first floor accommodation. A separate kitchen structure also included the laundry, staff accommodation and a basement cellar. Despite many alterations over time, including the removal of the original veranda posts at street level, it retains the essence of a beautiful colonial hotel.