© irene waters 2015
Thank you to Norah Colvin who nominated me this challenge. Norah’s passion is childhood education and even if you don’t have children, there is always thought-provoking insightful writing that keeps those grey cells working.
The Victoria Hotel in Goondiwindi was named after Queen Victoria – Australians in those days loved their Queen and their drinking. It didn’t start life looking like a cross between Victorian Architecture and the grand designs of art decco and the jazz age but rather a single story shingle shack, with hitching rails and horse troughs, that appeared soon after the founding of the town.
The town, close to the NSW border in the central south-west of Qld, sits on the edge of the MacIntyre River. The various lagoons are a haven for much bird life, which gives it the aboriginal name of Goonawinna meaning the resting place of many birds. It was the place where three large unfenced grazing properties met and became a campsite for the bullock teams from NSW which brought up food and mail for them. Eventually a petition asking the lands department of the day for land to be released for purchase. In 1860 an auction for around 35 1 acre blocks and 56 town blocks was held with all but two selling and a town was born.
Over the years various owners have added to the Victoria Hotel with its present appearance created by Bill Bell somewhere in the 1920 and 30s. He added the tower which displays a tower of Pisa type of lean. Not only is it a visual beauty but the characters that frequent it have created their own history. Cow cockies would ride into the bar and lassoo the drinks they wanted and during the 1956 flood a customer took his boat into the bar.
The other claim to fame of Goondiwindi is that this is the origin of the famous racehorse Gunsynd who is also memorialised in the hotel with one of the bars named after him.
The blogger I am nominating today (with no pressure to join in ) is Judy Dykstra -Brown who has a great attitude to life, writes poetry and short stories and currently lives in Mexico.If you wish to participate it is 1 photo a day for five days add a story fiction or non-fiction or poetry, link to the person that nominated you and nominate 1 person each day.
© irene waters 2015
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
What a fabulous place! The Australian hotel always brings to mind Neville Shute’s novels. Happy reading days back in the 80s for me.
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And for me. He captured the Australian outback for me although I am an Australian. The Aussie pub is usually the most impressive building in the town and it was so in this one.
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Thank you for your lovely comment, Irene. What a beautiful hotel. I’m sure I’ve been through Goondiwindi, but a long time ago, and I don’t recognise the hotel. Thank you for making me aware of the history of the town as well as the hotel. There’s much to learn about our wonderful country.
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You’re welcome Norah and its true what I said. Each little town has some interesting history. I love going to the local historical societies which often give you snippets you wouldn’t get otherwise. It doesn’t often happen though as most are run by volunteers and are open for such short times that rarely correspond.
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The timing can be difficult, and the knowledge of the volunteers is not always complete. Oh well, we learn what we can, how we can and from whom we can! 🙂
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It is learning how to learn which is where you come in. When I was doing undergraduate studies one of my lecturers said that he didn’t expect us to come out of uni knowing everything about earth sciences but he did expect that we would come out knowing how to find out. A valuable lesson I think.
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Knowing how to find out is definitely important, and knowing whether to trust the source or not is also important, especially in these days when anyone can publish (including me!). 🙂
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Yes you have to be wary and question much.
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I love the Aborigine names – they’re so meaningful. Your story tells about Australian history I know little of, so it’s fascinating to me. Would like to see the guy boating up to the bar!
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Me too. Australians love their beer and the local pub is often the place people gather for safety in storms, floods and other calamaties. The biggest probably being the pub with no beer.
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A beautiful place and striking paint job.
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They are keeping it beautifully.
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