Over the years, the Ipswich region has been home to many hotels that have provided a place for people to come together and mark important occasions. From Rosewood to Goodna, hotels have served as a meeting spot for many people in the local community and some have even been used as a film sets and a place to conduct legal proceedings.
Did you know?
- The Queen’s Arms was the first licenced hotel in Ipswich. It was owned by George Thorn and in the early years of the city court sessions were sometimes held in the hotel. As the room used for proceedings was particularly small, people not directly involved with a case needed to stand on the footpath outside and look through the windows. The Queen’s Arm Hotel was located on the corner of Brisbane and East Streets but was demolished and replaced by a building that was purchased by the Queensland National Bank in 1881.
- Dan Dempsey, a member of the Kangaroos rugby league team in 1929 and 1933, was one of the licensees of the Ulster Hotel. The hotel was designed by Henry Wyman and completed in 1911.
Ulster Hotel, Brisbane Street, Ipswich, 1978 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
- The original Rosewood Hotel was destroyed by fire in 1914 and the current building was erected soon afterwards. The hotel is known for its famous ‘water ghost’ and was used as a location for the filming of ‘Mabo’ in 2011.
Interior of Rosewood Hotel during production of film, ‘Mabo’, Rosewood, Ipswich, 2011 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
- In 1985, Marburg Hotel was used as a set for the movie ‘The Settlement’, starring Bill Kerr and John Jarratt. In the movie, the hotel was known as ‘Cedar Creek Hotel’. The Marburg Hotel was initially a single-storey building, with a second storey most likely added around 1890.
Marburg Hotel used as set for motion picture ‘The Settlement’, Marburg, 1985 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
- The Hotel Kerwick is named after Nicholas Kerwick. He was born in Kilkenny, Ireland but lived in the north of England for most of his youth. He came to Ipswich and worked on the Brisbane Valley Railway Line. Nicholas lived in Redbank for several years before becoming the licensee of the One Mile Hotel.
Hotel Kerwick, 1 Kerwick Street, Redbank, Ipswich, 1991 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
To read more about the interesting history of hotels in the Ipswich region, take a look at the heritage trails that the Ipswich City Council has produced on Country, City and Eastern Suburbs Pubs.
Information taken from Rubbidy Dubs to Pubs Then & Now; Eastern Suburbs Pubs Then & Now; Country Pubs Then & Now; Queensland National Bank