North Australian Hotel

Before it was named the North Australian, this hotel was known as the Clare Castle. It is thought that the hotel was re-named in the 1870s by Fred Calcot who was steward of the once famous North Australian Club. (The club house was in South Street and was later the site of Lyndhurst boarding house.)

The Clare Castle was built circa 1849-1850.  John Harris, a bricklayer, of Basin Pocket erected the original one- storey brick hotel.

In 1897 the North Australian Hotel was subject to extensive alterations with the back section of the pub being pulled down and replaced by a 2-storey brick building. The hotel now had 24 bedrooms, private and commercial sitting rooms. Local contractor H. Woodford was responsible for the new construction with designs by George B. Gill.

When the pub closed (in the 1970s?) the building was used by T.C. Beirne for their Old Pub Jeanery.

The North Australian Hotel was demolished in the 1980s and that block of land was incorporated into the Ipswich City Mall.