Bingara Hotels

Written by Graham Wilson

Royal Hotel, Bingera

Early licensees of the ‘Royal Hotel’, a single storey timber situated at the northeastern corner of Maitland and Heber Street were: Stephen Hogg 1865-1866 and Andrew Case 1866-1869.[ The main section of the building that faced Maitland Street no longer exists but part of the original timber hotel remains in Heber Street.  The ‘Royal Hotel’ was a popular place for travelling salesmen to display their wares, possibly in the billiard room, which adjoined the hotel building.

Imperial Hotel, Bingara

This hotel was once the ‘Gwydir Hotel’ built in 1879.  Michael Doyle, who died in 1884, built the Imperial Hotel and the Commercial Stores which occupied the land to the north of the present Post Office.

In November 1934, extensive alterations planned for the hotel were announced in the Bingara Advocate: three of the inner verandah posts are to be removed and replaced by steel girders; a dado of tiles is to be used on the outer walls to a height of five feet; entrance to be remodelled; double door of polished maple to replace the single door and mural decorations.  In all, the improvements were to cost ₤1000.

Photograph left: Imperial Hotel Bingara, Blake & Wilson 2006.

Riverview Hotel, Bingara

The ‘Riverview Hotel’, originally a single storey and later a two storey timber building, was situated on the corner of Maitland and Keera Streets.  In September 1898, a Bingara resident Harry Page, a coach driver with Wilkinson’s company, took over and refurbished the ‘Riverview Hotel’ at Bingara.  The license of the hotel was transferred from Marion Horne to Henry Page on 1 October 1898.  The name Armstrong was also associated with the hotel.

Commercial Hotel, Bingara

Dave Campbell, formerly a driver on the Bingara Inverell mail line opened a livery and bait stable at the ‘Commercial Hotel’ in Maitland Street in January 1898.

The Warialda Standard, 30 September 1929 announced that the hotel would change hands with Mrs Arniel selling it to Mr J. Beazley for the sum of ₤5,000.  The three hotels in Bingara were now to be controlled by the Beazley family: W.T. Beazley, the ‘Imperial’; J. Beazley, the “Commercial’ and their sister Mrs Algey and her husband, the ‘Royal’.  In March 1937 Samuel Smith of Cottawalla called tenders for additions to the ‘Commercial Hotel’, Bingara.

Today the ‘Commercial Hotel’ is known as the ‘Sportman’s Hotel’.  The balcony was demolished in the 1960s and the upstairs wrought iron clad verandah and posts were removed.  Cream stucco cement rendering was placed on the front façade with ground floor cream tiles.

Post Office Hotel (Bingara Museum)

A detailed history of the building, which now houses the Bingara Museum, has been published in the Bingara Historical News. Eleanor Higgins, another local historian states that there were six hotels established to meet the needs of travellers and this museum was one of them.  This research is available in the reading room of the museum.

By 1874 there were six hotels in Bingara to cater for the travelling public.  One was the ‘Post Office Hotel’.  In 1870 the licensee was Mary Ann Mallon or Arthur W. Mallon. Other publicans included Henry Bowman, Charles Miller, Walter Murray, Henry Reading, Sarah Neil and Mary Murray during the period to 1891 when the publican’s license was issued in the name of Henry H. Miller.  He died on 18 May 1916 and was buried in the Bingara Cemetery.

Anecdotal evidence shows that Henry Parkes visited Bingara in about 1894 when he was seeking public support for the federation of independent Australian colonies.  During his visit he stayed at the hotel and addressed the townsfolk and children from the verandah of the residence.  Following his visit, the ladies of Bingara prepared a banner with the motto: ‘By our Union we are made equal to our destiny’.  It was presented to the Bathurst Peoples Federal Convention in November 1896.

The museum complex includes a wide range of historic items demonstrating the lifestyle of early settlers from Bingara and district, from kitchenware to vehicles, from photos from a complete one-teacher school with old style desks and blackboards.  Other artefacts include old sulkies, a tipcart, wagon, poison cart, a very rare hearse and a 1927 Whippet car.  Pioneer wall plaques tell the life story of early district settlers.

Within the grounds of the museum are the Boonbah School and a blacksmith’s shop moved from the main street.

Coachman’s Hotel (Peglar’s Hotel)

This hotel was located opposite to the Lockup Keeper’s residence and the Court House on the Finch Street corner.  Named as Peglar’s Corner it housed the ‘Coachman’s Arms’ and later Granny Peglar’s Boarding House.