hotel

The original hotel, known as the Quilpie Hotel was built way back in 1920. It was a wood and iron structure with a bar, 16 bedrooms, 2 parlours and 2 dining rooms and as was discovered in 1926, it was not fire proof. When the hotel was rebuilt it was built with 2 storeys and from brick and concrete (a little harder to burn down). It was Quilpie’s first building to be built from anything other than wood. It became known as “the Brick” Hotel (aren’t we an imaginative bunch). The Brick Hotel closed as a pub in the early 1990’s, shortly after the Imperial was rebuilt. Today it has been renovated in the style of the 1920’s and is an accommodation house known as the “Heritage Inn”. Source: www.visitquilpieshire.com/news/unique-and-quirky-pubs-of-...

In the forty years after Federation the most noticeable incursion of new settlers were the Soldier Settlers who came to the Boyne Valley after the war. Fifty-four families, with little or no farming experience attempted to farm very small areas. Before long most of them moved to more lucrative and certain incomes elsewhere. There were still two newspapers though The Advocate had been replaced by the Daily Times. The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, the Bank of New South Wales and the Queensland Bank all had branches in town; and there were two private hospitals and a chemist. Shops were numerous, and seem to have been larger. Friends store was well established, serving a much greater clientele than the town and there was a Cash & Carry, several butchers, bakers and car dealers. In a sign of real maturity in the town, the Post Office Directory lists a 'French Beauty Saloon' (though for 1939 it mentions only nine women by name). In short, everything was in place for the town to deal with the next wave, a population increase that was occasioned by the Second World War. Source: gragm.qld.gov.au/media/1017/waves-of-settlement-1901-1939...

One year, two disasters The year was 1918. In the early hours of 21 January, a tropical cyclone crossed the coast just north of Mackay, bringing with it tidal surges of 2.7 meters in the center of town. The force was strong enough to uproot large Jacaranda trees and destroy 80% of Mackay’s buildings, numbering around 1200. More than 20 people were killed and widespread flooding ensued across Central Queensland, most notably in Rockhampton. A few days later, the Cairns Post described a scene of sheer desolation: The cyclone lasted over 14 hours and particularly wrecked the town. Scarcely a building escaped. The Anglican and Methodist Churches were completely demolished … The Presbyterian School Hall was razed. Only three hotels were left tenable … The Star Theatre, the Olympic Theatre, the Star Court, and Theatre Royal were literally turned inside out … The streets were littered with wreckage, galvanized iron being blown about like paper. (Cairns Post, 5 February 1918, p.2) Only seven weeks later, as Queensland was still reeling in the aftermath, another cyclone struck the coast, this time further north at Innisfail. The eye of the storm passed over the town in a terrifying hour between 9 pm and 10 pm on 10 March 1918, followed by wind gusts that blew in from the opposite direction to destroy any buildings left standing. Regarded by many to be the worst cyclone to hit a populated area in Queensland’s history of European settlement, 95% of dwellings were damaged or destroyed and close to 100 people perished across the wider region. The Brisbane Courier reported the impressions of Nationals’ candidate for Herbert, Mr. R.G. Johnson, as he walked towards Innisfail the following day: … [As] he journeyed along he saw many demolished homes, the occupants of which had to take refuge behind logs and in the open canefields. There were 1000 houses in the cyclone area, and in every instance the home was injured or destroyed … The tram route, which runs for 21 miles between Liverpool Creek and South Johnstone, was covered with the trunks of huge trees … (Brisbane Courier, 16 March 1918, p.6) Source: queenslanddecoproject.com/2015/02/25/art-deco-in-north-qu...