Noccundra Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Noccundra Hotel |
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Noccundra Hotel, 1992
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| Location | Wilson Street, Noccundra, Nockatunga, Shire of Bulloo, Queensland, Australia |
| Design period | 1870s - 1890s (late 19th century) |
| Built | 1880s - 1930s |
| Official name: Noccundra Hotel | |
| Type | state heritage (built, archaeological) |
| Designated | 21 October 1992 |
| Reference no. | 600361 |
| Significant period | 1880s-1930s (fabric) 1880s-ongoing (historical use) |
| Significant components | shed/s, kitchen/kitchen house |
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The Noccundra Hotel is a special old hotel in Noccundra, Queensland, Australia. It's considered a "heritage-listed" building, which means it's important to history and protected. This hotel was built a long time ago, between the 1880s and 1930s. It was officially added to the Queensland Heritage Register on October 21, 1992.
Contents
The Story of Noccundra Hotel
The Noccundra Hotel is located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Thargomindah. It sits on the edge of the Sturt Stony Desert, near the Noccundra Waterhole on the Wilson River. This spot was important because it was on the main routes for moving livestock and trading goods from South Australia and New South Wales.
Early Days and Explorers
In 1860, explorers Burke and Wills traveled through this part of Queensland. Their journey helped open up the area for people to start large farms called "pastoral stations." One of the first stations, Bulloo Downs, began in 1864.
A small town grew up on the Bulloo River to serve these stations. By 1874, the Thargomindah Town Reserve was created, and other small settlements started trading through it. In 1880, the Bulloo Division was set up, covering a huge area of 45,000 square miles.
The Hotel's Beginning
Nockatunga Station was started in the late 1860s. The Noccundra Hotel might have been built to serve the workers and visitors there. Old records from the station show payments made to the Noccundra hotel.
People in the area say the current hotel building replaced an even older one. The first official license for the hotel was given to James Gardiner in 1886. In 1885, a town area was planned, and in 1889, a survey showed the hotel and a store were the only buildings there. The hotel had a bathhouse, stables, and yards. Both the hotel owner and the store owner bought their land in 1890.
These businesses were in a great spot. They were near a waterhole where important stock and trading routes met. This meant they got a lot of business from teamsters (people who drove teams of animals), travelers, and workers from nearby stations. Back then, stations had many workers, and it was hard to travel to distant towns.
Building the Hotel
The hotel is believed to have been built using stone from a quarry at Mount Poole Station, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) away in New South Wales. Its style is similar to other old buildings in Birdsville and Boulia. This shows that in the past, southwest Queensland had stronger connections and more trade with South Australia and New South Wales than with Brisbane, which was much further east. The store next to the hotel was also made of stone.
Changes Over Time
The town of Noccundra first appeared in the Queensland Post Office Directory in 1892. William Hogan was the hotel's owner then. Over the years, different people ran the hotel, including Martha Hogan and Catherine Costello. The store was also sold a few times.
In the 1920s, the hotel added a kitchen and dining room made of corrugated iron. However, by 1933, the store had closed, and Noccundra was no longer listed as a town. This might have happened because more people started using cars, making it easier to travel to bigger towns like Thargomindah. The local police station also closed in 1959.
A Lasting Landmark
Even though the town didn't grow, the Noccundra Hotel remained important. It's in a remote area, so it continued to be a vital stop for travelers. It also served as a meeting place for the community.
The hotel has hosted monthly medical and dental clinics by the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). It's also been a place for social events and meetings for a club that raised money for the RFDS. Today, it's a well-known landmark for tourists exploring the outback.
In 1977, the National Trust recognized the hotel as important. At that time, parts of the old stone store building were still standing. This building was even used as a bar for the hotel at one point. In 1985, the hotel's front and side verandahs were replaced. The hotel was sold in 1990 and has had some updates since then.
Today, only a small part of the old store's wall and some foundations remain. This area is now a lawn, which makes the hotel stand out even more in the flat landscape.
What the Noccundra Hotel Looks Like
The Noccundra Hotel is located far from other towns, on the road from Thargomindah. It's a group of buildings made of stone and corrugated iron. Because it's so isolated, you can see it from a long distance when you're driving.
Main Buildings
The main part of the hotel has two long, narrow buildings made of neatly arranged sandstone blocks. They are connected and have separate hipped roofs (roofs that slope down on all sides) covered with corrugated iron. A smaller stone building with a bathroom and laundry is attached at a right angle.
A corrugated iron roof, held up by timber posts, covers the front and side of the hotel. This provides shade over a concrete path. At the back, a similar roof extends from the laundry across the building.
Inside the Hotel
Inside, the hotel has ceilings made of ripple iron, which is a type of corrugated iron with a wavy pattern. The internal walls are smooth and painted. There are sash windows (windows that slide up and down) with wooden frames. Some doors now have metal frames. There's also a stone fireplace between two of the rooms.
Other Structures
Behind the main hotel building, there's a separate kitchen and dining room. This building has a gable roof (a roof that slopes down on two sides, forming a triangle at the ends) and is made of corrugated iron sheets over a timber frame. There's also an extension made of the same materials. You can find other small corrugated iron buildings around the property.
Why the Noccundra Hotel is Special
The Noccundra Hotel was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992 because it meets several important criteria.
A Glimpse into History
The hotel helps us understand how Queensland developed, especially in remote areas. It shows how hotels and stores served travelers and large farms in the past. It's an example of how some small towns grew, while others, like Noccundra, didn't. The hotel now stands as a reminder of that failed town, but it still serves as a stopping point for people traveling through the outback.
A Unique Outback Building
The Noccundra Hotel is a rare example of a late 19th-century hotel in the outback that is still standing. By studying it, we can learn a lot about how hotels were designed and used in western Queensland during that time.
Smart Design for the Outback
Even with some changes, the Noccundra Hotel shows a special style of building that was common across central Australia in the late 1800s. This style used masonry (like stone) to help control the extreme temperatures in the hot, dry interior. It also made up for the lack of timber in the area.
Beautiful and Isolated
The Noccundra Hotel has a unique beauty. This comes from its shape, the materials it's made from, and its location as a single building standing alone on a wide, flat plain.
Important to the Community
The Noccundra Hotel has a long and strong connection with the local community. It has been a place for many social events and gatherings, making it very important to the people in the surrounding area.
