Hotel Moving
Some eighteen years ago my late friend, Sandy Duncan, and I started collecting photographs and information on the hotels of the Goldfields of Western Australia. Although we were collectors of all aspects of Goldfields History, hotels became our personal project. Sandy would look after the Kalgoorlie and Boulder hotels and I would do the ‘Other’ hotels which was everywhere else. Her collection became fairly static as the number of hotels rarely fluctuated after a time, but my section continued and still continues to grow. Although my collection had more hotels hers had more information on each. After we had been collecting for a while we originally thought of publishing a book (this was pre internet popularity) as we found that the subject of hotels was almost as popular as gold and mining. The above photograph was my favorite showing donkeys pulling half of a hotel and the one we had decided to put on the books cover.
After Sandy’s death in 2012 I took over the whole collection. I promised her that I would keep going with it but it has only been recently that I have had the heart to do something about it.
Doyles Hotel
So as of today, I have finally published the combined list on the Outback Family History website and all idea of a book will be put aside. I am sure it is not an exhaustive list and will always be open to additions and corrections (as is everything on the site) but I would love to have your input. The next job is to start uploading the huge file of photographs and additional information. Many of these photographs will not have been seen by most people and may indeed be the only ones available on any particular hotel. I also need to add the collected data we have on many of the buildings. Some hotels had several different names during their life, the most number was five different names.
The page address is:- https://www.outbackfamilyhistory.com.au/records/index.php?category=Hotels
If anyone has photographs that they would like to share to add to the web site do let me know and I will first check to see if I might already have one. On some of the hotels only minimal information from the WA Post Office Directories or perhaps a book or the liquor licencing records remain to show that it existed at all or in some cases only an advertisement from the newspaper.
Burtville Hotel 1900
I hope that Sandy would have approved! The hotel that we both thought had the ‘best ever’ name by far was the ‘Shadow of Death’ Hotel near Yalgoo. What a ripper of a name don’t you think?? Imagine anyone saying, “lets call in to the Shadow of Death for a few quite drinks” !!!!
The page address is:-
https://www.outbackfamilyhistory.com.au/records/index.php?category=Hotels
Moya Sharp
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Sis would be happy this has happened and thank’s for the great yarns of old day’s.
Thanks Lee, it has taken me a while to do this but it is what we decided long before Sandy became ill. I miss her every day still ! Hope you are going ok!
I think your Hotel Listing is an excellent idea. So may hotels existed for such a short time, but they were the centre of the ‘community’. I recently compiled a book on the hotels of Eaglehawk (a gold mining town next to Bendigo in Victoria) and loved unearthing details of early establishments.
Good luck with your venture and collection of amazing photographs.
Noelene Wild sav18938@gmail.com
Hi Noelene Thank you so much for your kind comments, much appriciated. I agree that hotels were very important to communities. They were so often the hub of a the social activities. All you need to form a town is a pub and church and a shop, all the necessities of life, food, drink and spiritual sustenance! (:
I contributed a lot of names to the Eaglehawk Pioneer registers, were you involved in this project? So many people came from your area to here!
Love seeing the picture of the Burtville hotel Moyà , when I grew up there in the 40’s& 50’s there was only the walls standing except for one end where two Germans Jacky and Harry Baulk lived after reroof img. When they died rumour had it that they had money hidden their. However in spite of much searching nothing came of it . Then in the late nineties a family from Laverton was having a picnic out there when they noticed something visible under the wooden lintel in the doorway on the right hand side of that picture. It turned out to be a few hundred pounds. Jacky was the last to die and I think it would have been in the late 50’s. Regards Bob Cable
enjoy reading of the goldfields History without the goldfields where would Western Australia be.
keep up your excellent work Moya .
Thank you so much for your kind words Shirley! (:
Hello Moyà. I have in my possession the original cash book for one of the original Broad Arrow hotels (I can’t recall the exact name at the moment and I am packed for going away soon). The hotel,was run by James McMahon Hanley. He ventured there with his wife Annie (McKeon) and baby daughter Myra. Annie died in Broad Arrow in 1897 and is buried there. James went bankrupt and went back to Perth / Fremantle where he soon met up with his dead wife’s sister Rose. They married and had more children. He returned to the Goldfields and operated several hotels including the Launceston Hotel in Boulder. He later became a manager for WA State Hotels in the Wheatbelt ( Wongan Hills and Corrigin). The actual book is a window into the activities of remote hotels including cash takings expenses water purchases from Coolagardie etc. I hacve a very strong Goldfields connection through both sides of my family and would be happy to share with you
John Hanley
Hello Moya.
My name is Tony.
My wife and I are going up to golden grove to try and find “the Shadow”.
My wife’s maiden name is Oliver and she is the Great Great Granddaughter of Jane Oliver the owner of “The Shadow Of Death Inn”.
My Wife has been there when she was young and father keeps calling it “Oliver’s Patch” and keeps giving us rough locations but i was wondering if you know the exact location of the Shadow or Jane Oliver’s grave.
Tony
Hi Tony Thats amazing that you wife is a relative. There is a story abou the hotel in the book ‘Yalgoo’ abd apicture of the remains. Im not sure if it gives the exact location but I will check and let you know when I get back from Perth.