Victoria Hotel, Darwin facts for kids
The Victoria Hotel, often called The Vic, is a historic pub in Darwin, Australia. It was built way back in 1890 and is a very important building for the city's history. Even though it's famous, the hotel is currently closed.
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History of The Vic Hotel
The Victoria Hotel was built by Ellen Ryan, who was one of the richest women in the Northern Territory at the time. She owned land and even some mining areas. In 1888, Ellen decided to get into the hotel business. She successfully applied to build a fancy hotel at 27 Smith Street in central Darwin. Back then, Darwin was known as Palmerston. This was during the exciting gold rushes that started in the 1870s.
The hotel was built by H.C. Debross and cost £4,000. It was the very first stone building in Darwin! The two-story hotel was made from local, colorful stone called porcellanite. It had a grand front with a special roof design and verandahs (porches). When it was finished, the building really stood out on Smith Street and stayed that way for over 50 years.
The hotel first opened its doors on 8 September 1890. It was first named The Royal Hotel, but a few days later, it was renamed the North Australian Hotel. Finally, in 1896, it got its lasting name: the Victoria Hotel.
Surviving Cyclones
The Victoria Hotel has faced many strong storms over the years. On 6 January 1897, a huge cyclone hit Darwin. It was known as the "Great Hurricane." The hotel lost part of its roof and had damage inside. This cyclone was very powerful. It sadly killed 28 people and sank 19 ships in the harbor. It also caused about £150,000 worth of damage across the town. But even with all that destruction, the hotel's main structure stayed strong. It was one of the few buildings that remained mostly in one piece and was quickly repaired.
In March 1937, the hotel lost its roof again during another cyclone. This storm was not as strong as the 1897 one, but it still caused a lot of damage in Darwin and one person died. Luckily, the hotel was repaired quickly after this storm too.
On Christmas Day in 1974, the hotel survived yet another massive cyclone called Cyclone Tracy. This storm was incredibly destructive. It killed 71 people and damaged 95% of all buildings in Darwin. The total cost of the damage was over A$800 million. The Victoria Hotel was badly damaged and lost its roof for the third time in less than 100 years. However, its main structure still held up.
Because Darwin was so badly damaged, the Vic Hotel wasn't rebuilt until 1978. Some of the original stonework was fixed, especially on the front of the building facing Smith Street. Other stone parts were still in good shape, even after Cyclone Tracy, so they needed only minor repairs.
Famous Visitors and Events
In 1908, the hotel hosted Henry Hampden Dutton and Murray Aunger. They were the first people to drive a car all the way across Australia, from Adelaide to Darwin!
In 1915, the hotel was taken over by the government. This happened when John Gilruth, who was in charge of the Northern Territory, decided to make several hotels government-owned. The hotel became a central spot for political arguments and worker protests between 1911 and 1919. These problems reached a peak on 17 December 1918, in an event known as the Darwin Rebellion.
In December 1919, famous aviators (pilots) like Ross Macpherson Smith and Keith Macpherson Smith stayed at the hotel. They were part of the first air race from England to Australia.
In 1921, a mining business owner named May Brown became the first person to win the right to run the Victoria Hotel after the government stopped owning hotels. Later, in August 1926, Christina Gordon took over. She made many improvements to the Vic Hotel, including a new dining room. She also continued the hotel's connection with aviators. Many of their signatures from the 1920s and 1930s are still preserved on a stone section inside the hotel.
The well-known government architect Beni Burnett lived at the hotel for several years. He had a big impact on how Darwin's buildings looked from the late 1930s onwards.
World War II and Beyond
During World War II, the hotel was used by the United States and Australian navies. They stayed there until the war ended. In September 1941, soldiers rioted in Darwin city. They caused some damage to the hotel, like broken windows and furniture. A fight started inside the hotel and quickly spread outside into Smith Street. Even though soldiers were blamed, records show that regular citizens were also involved in the riot.
On 19 February 1942, Darwin was bombed by Japanese planes. These were the biggest attacks by a foreign country on Australia. The same group of planes had bombed Pearl Harbor, but even more bombs were dropped on Darwin. The attack killed at least 243 people and caused huge damage to the town. These were the first of many air raids on Darwin. Even with all this destruction around it, the Victoria Hotel survived with only a little damage. It's interesting that the soldiers' riot in 1941 caused almost as much damage to the hotel as the Japanese bombings did!
In September 1946, the pub reopened. The Lim family bought the hotel from the Gordons and ran it for almost 20 years, selling it in 1965. During this time, the hotel was a popular place for crocodile hunters, buffalo hunters, and people looking for minerals. Local office workers and bank staff also enjoyed visiting.
The Vic Hotel Today
The Vic Hotel closed its doors in October 2014. It was reported that the hotel had more than $750,000 in debt. One of the hotel's owners, Andrew Chigwidden, said that the hotel found it hard to attract enough customers because of where it was located. He also mentioned that not having a good smoking area downstairs made it harder for the business to succeed and affected the hotel's friendly atmosphere.
