Gulgong Prince of Wales Hotel

1934

19 April 1934

HOTEL CHANGES HANDS

THE Prince of Wales Hotel, Gulgong, Is to be taken over by Mrs. B. J. Egan, who recently disposed of the licence to Mr. Ben Davles. Since leaving Gulgong Mrs. Egan has been residing at Parramatta. Her many friends warmly welcome her back to the town1 .

26 April 1934

HOTEL CHANGE

THE sale of the licence of the Prince of Wales Hotel. Gulgong, from Mr. B. Davies to Mrs. Egan, who is owner of the building and wbo was until recently the licensee, was effected through the Gulgong. District Stock and Station Agency (Messrs. Cock and Manusu). Mrs. Egan will take over the business again after next sitting of the Licensing Court2 .

10 May 1934
Owner Licensee
Frank Leo Egan c/o Prince of Wales Hotel, Mayne Street, Gulgong 1/1/20 Lease expired 1/12/22.

Licensees
Kenneth Alex Macrae 1/1/20
Frank Leo Egan 25/1/23
Bedelia Josephine Egan (Executrix of Will of F. L. Egan,dec’d)
Bedelia Josephine Egan 7/6/26
Benjamin Davies 27/12/33
Bedelia Josephine Egan 10/5/34

General
8/11/27. Application to make material alterations. - Approved - Complete by 1 month. Approx Cost £100.
5/9/33. Order 40A made - Complete by 13 months. Approx Cost £753 .

1939

10 August 1939

HOTEL TRANSFERS

At the Gulgong Licensing Court to-day the licence of the Prince of Wales Hotel, Gulgong, was transferred from Mrs. B. J. Egan to Mr. F. P. Gilmore4 .

1950

15 June 1950

PRINCE OF WALES HOTEL

At the Gulgong licensing Court last Wednesday, Mrs. Ida Mann, late of Sydney, was granted a licence of the Prince of Wales Hotel in Mayne Street. In the conduct of the business, Mrs. Mann has the assistance of her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Parsonage. For some months the hotel was managed by Mr. Walter Costello for Graham Bros5 .

1955

20 January 1955
Mr. Frank Gilmore, a former licensee of the Prince of Wales Hotel, has been a patient in Gloucester House, Sydney, for some weeks6 .

2012

Prince of Wales Hotel
ON THE FOOTPATH outside the Prince of Wales Hotel, one of Gulgong’s oldest buildings, is a cryptic symbol marked on a ceramic tile. To the initiated, the travellers who walked the roads looking for work, food or somewhere to sleep, it would be read as ‘dangerous drinking water’.

The tile is one of 70 on the Gulgong Symbol Trail, designed by local potter Chester Nealie and placed along Mayne Street and through Coronation Park, a reminder of the secret language used to mark the ‘lie of the land’. Other symbols leave the messages ‘dangerous people’, ‘money usually given here’ and ‘angry dogs’. Licensee Rowena Ellis, born and bred in Gulgong, laughs when it is mentioned; it’s all part of the rich history of her home town, 294 kilometres (or about four hours’ drive) north-west of Sydney, between Dubbo and Newcastle.

The Prince of Wales has been offering country hospitality since the late 1800s. Rowena’s parents Meg and John bought it in 1976 ‘when women weren’t even allowed in the bar’ and their daughter has been running it (this time around) since 2005. After a five-year stint as manager and licensee from 1995 to 2000, Rowena pursued a different career path for a few years but came back to the hotel when the former licensees moved out without warning, leaving the pub an empty shell. She took on the challenge of getting it back up and running. ‘There was literally nothing in it,’ she recalls. ‘No chairs, no tables, no beer.’ Her first task was to refurnish and reestablish the pub before moving on to bigger renovations, including providing more accommodation. ‘When I came into the hotel I had a lot of dreams and ideas of different things I wanted to do with the business,’ says Rowena. ‘My parents trusted me to do these things and the ideas have worked, with the help of great reliable staff.’

The pub’s original five guest rooms have been supplemented by seven modern motel units immediately behind it. During the week, the accommodation is usually used by contract workers at the local coalmine, but at weekends Rowena’s marketing efforts have seen it become a popular spot for girls’ weekends away (packages include meals, winery tours and massages). All the motel rooms have air conditioning, electric blankets, a bar fridge, microwave, wi-fi access and flat-screen televisions with DVD players. The rooms in the pub have shared bathrooms, the motel rooms have ensuites. With its terracotta-tiled floor, lots of pot plants, wall murals, and use of corrugated iron, the pub is warm and welcoming and gives no hint of its former empty state. There are two pool tables, and live bands play on Friday nights.

From the kitchen, still run by Meg Ellis, two full-time chefs create an extensive menu including homemade pizzas, Asian-inspired specials (think red beef curry or garlic prawns), and two sizes of steaks – 400 grams and 600 grams – all for under $25. There are also light meals, and a ‘coffee and cake’ menu7 .

2015

3 December 2015
Prince of Wales Hotel Gulgong is top for country dining
ulgong's Prince of Wales Hotel has taken on larger regional counterparts to claim the best casual dining venue country - Western in this year's industry awards.

The Prince of Wales Hotel was a finalist in three categories, including best traditional hotel bar category and best pub style accommodation traditional, in the Australian Hotels Association NSW Awards for Excellence 2015.

Licensee Rowena Ellis said the team were gobsmacked when they were announced winners at the award ceremony in Sydney this week.

'We try really hard out here and we try to be up there with great food and service," Ms Ellis said.

'We want to provide really good meals and service and our staff have worked very hard to achieve that."

It is the first time the hotel has won the award.

"It's a good acknowledgement for everyone and the effort they make."

Mudgee's Lawson Park Hotel and Oriental Tavern were also finalists in the awards.

AHA NSW CEO John Whelan said almost 1000 business, industry and community leaders attended the annual awards at The Star ballroom.

'These venues really do represent the best in the industry," Mr Whelan said.

"Our venues employ more than 75,000 people across NSW and it is great to see the hard work of management and staff honoured8 ."

References