Eureka Hotel facts for kids

The Eureka Hotel is a very old building in Hervey Range, Queensland, Australia. It was built around 1865. This special hotel is important because it shows us what life was like a long time ago. It is now protected as a heritage site.

A Look Back in Time

The Eureka Hotel started welcoming guests around 1865. The first person to run it was Charles Saville Rowe. This hotel was built in a perfect spot at the top of Thorntons Gap. It helped travelers who were going to the new gold fields and farms west of Charters Towers. It was also a stop for people heading down to Townsville.

The hotel had a few different names over the years! It was first called the Eureka. Around 1879, it was known as the Sanatorium. Then, around 1882, it became Rolfe's. From 1884 to 1886, it was the Eureka again. Finally, from 1886 onwards, it was called the Range.

William James Rolfe became the person in charge around 1875. He and his family were involved with the hotel for over 30 years. After 1908, the hotel stopped being a licensed place. The Moodie family then owned the building. They used it as a place for refreshments and dances. Later, the Fryer family, who were early landowners in the area, bought it. The current owners bought it in 1984.

What the Hotel Looks Like

The Eureka Hotel is a building from the colonial period. It is made from a very strong wood called ironbark. The main part of the building has three rooms and a gabled roof. This roof is made of modern corrugated iron.

The verandahs, which are like covered porches, go all around the building. They are now enclosed with asbestos cement sheeting. These verandahs have a skillion roof, which is a roof that slopes in one direction.

The building sits on low, round ironbark stumps. It also has large, half-round timber supports. These supports are held in place with wooden pegs. This way of building is a rare example of "bush carpentry." Bush carpentry means building things using local materials and simple tools.

Originally, the hotel might have had an earthen floor. But now, it has a timber floor. The main rooms do not have ceilings. You can see the unlined iron roof from inside. The walls of the largest room are covered with asbestos-cement sheeting.

The hotel is surrounded by well-kept gardens. These gardens have trees, shrubs, and plants that were popular a long time ago. Behind the hotel, there is an old shed. There are also post and rail stockyards, which are fences used for animals.

Why the Hotel is Special

The former Eureka Hotel is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. This means it is a very important historical site. It was added to the list on 21 October 1992.

The hotel is important for several reasons:

• It shows how Queensland's history developed. It helps us understand how people lived and traveled long ago.
• It is a great example of an early hotel. It shows the "shanty style" of hotels from that time. It is also important because it was linked to the growth of mining and farming in Northern Queensland.
• It is a rare type of building. The Eureka Hotel is a special example of how buildings were made during an early period of "bush carpentry." It is one of the few buildings left that shows this type of construction. It is like the Bowen River Hotel in being a rare survivor.