Page 15 - Port Douglas Magazine 41

from the vault. from the vault.

Mount Molloy Pub once owned by famous explorer and prospector James Mulligan Tully enjoys a pint at the Mossman Hotel

Mossman also introduces you to people such as hotel which was badly damaged in the March “In 1873 Mulligan confirmed the discovery
Tully, who regularly enjoys meeting his ‘drinking 1934 cyclone. of payable gold on the Palmer River; followed
mates’ at the Mossman Hotel or the Exchange. A The Exchange Hotel was originally one storey, in 1875 by the discovery of the Wild River tin

popular face at these pubs for many years, and but had a second storey by March 1911 when a deposits and the Hodgkinson Goldfield a year
with his big smile, the guitar repairer and timber cyclone destroyed the upper floor. The hotel was later,” my friend told me.

hand, has fascinating stories which only he knows repaired and continued to serve the town, despite “In the 1880s, he mined at Irvinebank, Cloncurry
how to tell. being damaged again in a 1920 cyclone. and Croydon, and in the 1890s on the Mitchell
He displays a cheeky grin as he describes the Leaving Mossman, it’s recommended backtracking River and at Mount Madden and Mount Molloy.
delights offered by the Queens back in the 1960s. to stop at the National Hotel at Mt Molloy for a pint The man was a legend.”

“For seven and six, you got a pint of beer, a lady of or lunch, before heading to Yungaburra, another Leaving my new friend with a fresh beer and beer Yungaburra pub – 2nd largest timber hotel in the southern hemisphere
the night and breakfast. But you had to leave via town rich in history along with its famous pub. nuts, our next stop is Yungaburra via Mareeba
the backdoor in the morning.” Navigating the twists and turns, changing and Atherton. All worthwhile stops to stretch its lively New Year’s Eve parties and many residents of the Tablelands have
Without conceding whether he succumbed to landscape and breathtaking views as you make the legs, but the Yungaburra Hotel emerged as been married here.
such temptations, Tully switches to the more your way into Mt Molloy, it is worth noting that the ideal venue for more history and an excellent Visitors and hotel guests marvel at the timber facade and interior with cedar
belligerent times when he, too, fell out of favour. you are entering an area that was once a thriving lunch. and oak throughout and these local timbers make for an attractive and

“Yes, I had the odd scuffle or disagreement and mining settlement. The Yungaburra Hotel, also known as the Lake durable structure. Be assured no cyclone could ever harm the Yungaburra

was banned from the pub for six months, six A sign which reads: “Oldest pub on the Eacham Hotel, is the pride of the Atherton Hotel!
weeks or three weeks at a time. I guess I never Tablelands” is prominently displayed outside the Tablelands, attracting visitors with its Federation The hotel boasts 30 rooms, two bars, one of the Tableland’s busiest restaurants,

really learnt my lesson,” he says with a toothy grin. National or Mt Molly pub, which has remained architecture and displays of historic photographs private function rooms, and an enchanting garden.
Pub brawls were common practice, but according unaltered – apart from the addition of verandahs of the area’s early saw milling days. It also The hotel is especially popular with families and couples who come up

to Tully, there was a certain civility that ensured it – from the time it was built around 1903. showcases an old-fashion telephone box and a from the coast for a night or more to cool down and relax.
was managed in a professional way. Irishman James Mulligan, a well-known explorer pianolo, or self-playing piano. As a lover of history and an experienced journalist, this

“You could say we had our own justice of the and prospector, is the hotel’s most famous Following an outstanding lunch on the hotel’s verandah, we decided our feature from Howard Salkow first appeared in print in the
last hotel would be the Malanda Hotel which opened for trading on Boxing
day. If a fight was brewing, the publican sent the proprietor, who met a most unfortunate death. Day 1911. PORT DOUGLAS Magazine in Issue 14, almost a decade ago.

perpetrators outside onto a grass patch near the The locals will tell you that he died in August “So much history, and so much to savour. True to his craft, as a natural born storyteller we wanted to

hotel, those in the pub took their drinks to follow 1907, from knife wounds when he intervened in If you close your eyes and let yourself drift Its age shows, especially the fading name on the tin roof. But you can’t miss share this wonderful piece for you to enjoy, “From the vault.”

the action, the local copper enforced the ruling of a bar room brawl between railway construction it. This is one pub where you wish the walls could talk and share the stories

no kicking or biting, and once there was a winner, workers. He was buried in the Mt Molloy off, you may smell the cheap tobacco, the how the hotel evolved. It’s a popular venue for gamblers looking for a quick
the two shook hands and everyone headed back cemetery. beer and whiskey, and imagine the ladies of buck on the horses or the doggies.

to the pub.” A visit to this pub for a pint or lunch is a must and the night working the room as the patrons The Malanda Hotel (now known at the BIG Pub) is the most obvious
“Times were different back then,” says Tully, who boasts some of the best home-cooked food and landmark of the location, characteristically built from the timber of local

clearly misses what was once a colourful time. desserts. It is also extremely active on Melbourne continue to dream of making their fortune.” trees. As you enter the restaurant section of the hotel, you will notice the

“Many of the characters have passed on and with Cup day and attracts more than 70 people from prominence of these timbers, seen in the fl oorboards and the magnificent
them went much of our rich history. It’s different the surrounding area; and when the Cowboys staircase (made from local Silky Oak) leading to the hotel rooms and

now; the young people don’t care for the past.” play the large TV screen is again a popular spot. The Yungaburra Hotel is the second largest second floor.

But hotels such as the Mossman Hotel and the It’s Mulligan the locals love talking about, and timber hotel in the southern hemisphere, and was In 1910, in response to a developing local industry, John Prince established
Mossman Exchange Hotel, built in 1896, and the mentioning that there was scarcely a mineral field built in 1910 by Henry Williams when the railway a saw mill in Malanda. It was from this mill that the boards for the Malanda

Post Office, have never lost their charm and you in Far North Queensland that he did not discover came to town and immediately became the hub Hotel were sawn.

know you are stepping into history when you or prospected after moving to Australia in 1860. of the region. It was extended in art deco style in So much history, and so much to savour. If you close your eyes and let

spend time in these venues. Looking out onto the dusty road as more people 1926 to cater for the extra business coming from yourself drift off, you may smell the cheap tobacco, the beer and whiskey,

The Exchange, now a backpackers is the second begin to enter the pub, my friend becomes a the opening of the Gillies Highway, and stayed in and imagine the ladies of the night working the room as the patrons In memory of Port Douglas Magazine & Newsport

timber hotel to stand on the prominent site at the history boffin as he relates Mulligan’s successes the Williams/Kehoe family into the early 1970s. continue to dream of making their fortune. journalist Howard Salkow
corner of Front and Mill streets in Mossman. It to me. The hotel, half of which was taken over by the These were different times, perhaps extraordinary times.

was re-built in 1934-35 to replace the first original military during World War 2, had a reputation for And if only the walls could talk. 1 November 1955 - 11 May 2022