A NEW chapter could be about to be written in the storied history of one of Junee’s most popular pubs.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Junee Hotel will go under the hammer on site at midday on Thursday.
Selling agent Peter Campbell from Peter Campbell Real Estate said he was expecting strong interest in the auction.
“It will be sold as a going concern but there are quite a few possibilities (for the new owner),” Mr Campbell said.
“It really is a unique hotel, both in its history and in terms of the sheer size of it.”
Current publican Garth Sutherland, a shareholder in the hotel, declined to comment on the sale.
Mr Campbell described the hotel as an “imposing and unique building”.
“It’s certainly unique in the amount of accommodation it has; it really sets it apart from other hotels,” Mr Campbell said.
“The sheer size of it is incredible.”
The upstairs portion of the hotel has 23 guest rooms and amenities, a proprietor’s flat, and 200-metre front veranda with great views.
With the exception of the commercial kitchen at the rear, all the other hotel working areas are connected by a central bar.
The beer garden is located beside the kitchen and behind two rental properties, which are included in the sale.
Mr Campbell said the reserve on the hotel was “realistic” and said it was on the market at a time when Junee was drawing more and more visitors to town.
“Junee has got so much history and with the success of the liquorice factory, people are starting to realise what a great tourist area it is,” Mr Campbell said.
“It’s attracting people to visit quite successfully.”
The hotel was opened by grazier Christopher Crawley in 1878 as part of a parcel of 520 acres he selected near where the railway would pass. It was named the Railway Hotel and according to Junee historian David Walster, it did a roaring trade.
“It was a real boomer because he captured all the trade from those building the line,” Mr Walster said.
“With all the labourers here, the product from the three breweries in Wagga was not enough to keep up with the trade.”
Crawley sold the hotel in 1884 to a Mr Egan, who demolished the original hotel in 1911 and built the current art nouveau-style facility.
