Dulacca Pink Hotel (Square)

The Dulacca Hotel was built and opened in 1908, It has been believed for many years now that the hotel opened on Boxing Day of 1908, however, it was reported in an article published in both the Roma Western Star & The Darling Downs Gazette in 1908 that the official opening date was 14th July 1908. The first proprietor of the hotel was L. Ellercamp.

On the 25th July, the hotel hosted it’s first big event, with a ball following a local athletics sports day.  The local athletic sports club organised a sports day in which many visitors from surrounding districts and towns attended. In true Dulacca spirit, competition was keen and nominations were numerous. At these athletics days, which were held often in Dulacca the competitors participated in events like Throwing at the Wicket, Pole Vault, Boot and Saddle Races, Sprint Races, Running Long Jump, High Jump and the like.

After a day of amusement, the hotel featured it’s very first ball, attendance comfortably filling the space in the dining room. The Miles Brass Band was in attendance for the evening patrons enjoyed dancing into the night.  These balls after the sports days became the norm and on Boxing Day of 1908, there was another held, in which attendance over-taxed the dining room floor space.

From this point we rely on local reporting of the venues history. It is believed that the hotel was purchased in 1910 by Patrick Corbett. It has been confirmed with his ancestors that he was indeed the second owner of the hotel and that he later bartered with the next owner an exchange of the hotel for a farming block outside Dulacca.

John A. Bell is believed to have taken ownership of the venue in 1918 becoming the 3rd owner of the hotel. Sadly, he passed away and his wife carried it on retaining ownership until 1955. Locals documented in the 60s that the next owner was Mr O’Shea who sold it in May of 1960 to Mr & Mrs M. H. Kries. At the time of Mr & Mrs Kries’s ownership it was believed that the proprietors since 1918 were J. Norris, H. Payne, D. Patterson, P. J. Gibney, M. Gadsby, R. Dawes & E. Laverack.

An emlpoyee of Mrs & Mrs Kries have confirmed that they owned the venue in the 60s and that she then worked for another lady who’s surname remains unknown, and then after that Ms. Eileen Goodall in the 1970s. It is unconfirmed whether these were owners or merely proprietors.  It is known that in 1978 Mr John & Mrs Robyn Sewell purchased the hotel and ran it with their daughters for 4 years until they sold it to Mr Jones in 1983.

Mr “Jonesy” Jones ran the pub for many years with his wife Raylee and they are still talked about with reverence today. Many people remember the pub in their day with fond memories. This was the beginning of the “Pink Pub on the Hill” and it’s wonderful modern day reputation for a great local watering hole. Ownership of the venue past this point becomes blurred, and as far as we are aware, Terry & Mary ran the venue for a number of years in the 2000’s making themselves famous for their renowned Seafood Nights.

There is then a period of time when ownership passed to Mr & Mrs Polain, whose son Rod was the proprietor for some years. John & Sue McIntosh, who are the current owners of the Muckadilla Hotel, then took over ownership for 3 years.  Currently, Danny (grandson of John & Robyn Sewell) and his wife Natalie are the owners and proprietors of the hotel. They took over the venue in August 2017, and after extensive renovations, re-opened the venue on the 29th September 2017.

“We have put our heart and soul into reviving the pub and breathing some life and energy back into it. Danny’s parents met here at the pub, and we know his grandmother has fond memories of the place. It was important to us that the local community had a place where the could meet, drink, eat and enjoy themselves. The local is the hub of small town communities and it was something we thought we could do well. We are currently focusing on expanding our camping area to accommodate for more caravans and tourists, and look forward to welcoming everyone travelling through to the venue and showing them some good old fashioned country hospitality, with a modern twist of course! Come into the Pink Pub on the Hill… you won’t be disappointed.”

SKILL LEVEL:  Medium, designed for the person that likes a challenge, but does not want to be too challeng