twostorey

Jim Martin was the first publican of Helensburgh’s re-built Centennial Hotel in 1915. The original old single-storey timber Centennial sat on the opposite side of the road. It closed and had its license transferred to a swanky two-storey brick building in May 1915. The owners, the Hanley family, in partnership with brewers Tooth and Company opened the new Centennial in May 1915. Jim was put in charge of Hanley’s new pub. Born in 1885, his first forte into the hotel trade came in 1913 when he took the reins of the Hotel Pacifique on the Queensland NSW border at Tweed Heads. Jim was just 28. Tweed Heads’ tourist industry kept him and wife Christina in a profitable business for the short time they remained as hosts. Why he chose to leave such a profitable and thriving business to take up the license of a newly built pub in a small coal mining village on the NSW south coast remains a mystery. Source: timegents.com/2015/07/25/the-tweeds-heroic-publican/

Townsville’s former Customs House is located on the corner of Wickham Street and The Strand. Completed in 1902, the building was designed by George David Payne of the Government Architect’s Office in the Queensland Department of Public Works. Payne was a London-trained architect who had emigrated to Australia around 1887. Payne designed an impressive Romanesque-style building with a semi-circular corner entrance and low tower for shipping observation. The two-storey, L-shaped building was designed to suit the tropical climate with high ceilings and fanlights to maximise airflow and broad, colonnaded verandahs to provide shade for the interior rooms. Tenders for construction were called in early 1900 with the tender of £26,642 submitted by Brisbane contractors Messrs Crawford and Cameron being accepted in March 1900. The building was constructed of local bricks from the North Queensland Brick and Pottery Company and faced with granite quarried at Cockle Bay, Magnetic Island. The roof tiles were manufactured locally, and timbers sourced from throughout north Queensland, such as cedar and silky oak, were used internally. The ground floor plan included a circular entrance hall, a Long Room with a public counter and work area, general offices, storerooms, two safes, two small strong rooms, and a large office for the Sub-Collector of Customs. The upper floor was designed to house offices for the Deputy Registrar, Harbour Master, and Stamps and Titles offices. A large strong room with a fireproof door was located at the end of the Titles office. The Strand frontage contained two entrances for access by the public, while the Wickham Street elevation contained two private entrances. One private entrance was for the exclusive use of the Sub-Collector of Customs, while the other was for the use of boarding officers and tide waiters. Although intended as functional plans, Payne’s hand-coloured drawings are also visually very beautiful. Subtly different colours have been used to represent the different external building materials of granite, brick and stone. Interestingly, Payne’s signature does not appear on the plans. The only signature discernible on the Townsville Custom House plans are that of A.B. Brady, the Queensland Government Architect. Though Payne was obviously a talented architect, at this time he was just one of a number of draftsmen who worked for the Department of Public Works, so his drawings were signed by the senior officer, Brady. Source: jculibrarynews.blogspot.com/2020/05/50-treasures-townsvil...

Quiet town northwest of Gympie. Kilkivan is a small town nestled in the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range and on the bank of Wide Bay Creek. Historically it boomed during a brief goldrush - the area is rich in minerals - but today it is a quiet rural center, with attractive parks and interesting heritage buildings, which service the beef and cattle farmers in the surrounding district. Source: www.aussietowns.com.au/town/kilkivan-qld

The Federal Hotel at Kilkivan now Kilkivan Hotel Motel in the 1950’s was the place to be, it is now under new management so get out to Kilkivan and grab a cold one or a counter meal. Source: www.facebook.com/GympieRealTreasure/posts/the-federal-hot...

Located in the pictureesq town of Kilivan, The Kilkivan Hotel Motel is a watering hole with a difference. Under new management by the Boxing Tent legend Fred Brophy and his wife Sandra, the recently refurbished hotel is attracting visitors from near and far for its good old-fashioned Australian hospitality. Heritage - Listed the grand old Pub boasts a friendly public bar, a relaxing beer garden, and a country-style restaurant with some of the best home-cooked meals in the region. A range of charming, reasonably-priced accommodation options are also available - from bed and breakfast style hotel rooms to a fully appointed motel. Just 30 minutes from Gympie, the Kilkivan Hotel Motel is the perfect place to unwind and soak up the country atmosphere in relaxed welcoming surroundings. Source: www.gdaypubs.com.au/_hotel_kilkivanhotelmotelqld.html

It is also painted pink.