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History
Formerly known as the Otago Hotel and built in 1886, Mr E. Murdoch held the license in partnership with Mr McCallum (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 8 June 1868, p. 4) from when they were running a Royal Mail Coach commencing from the United States Hotel (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 19 December 1885, p. 2). They continued the running of the ‘Royal Mail Coach’ service from their Otago Hotel establishment (The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 27 February 1886, p. 1).
In 1915, the hotel was refurbished again and it was published in the Maryborough Chronicle that the Otago Hotel has been converted into a very handsome, two storied structure and has now the dignified name of Grand Hotel (Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 17 December 1915, p. 8). The Grand Hotel was completely demolished in 1951 due to a mine shaft collapsing underneath the building and making the building structurally unstable and beyond repair (The Gympie Times, 2005, p. 53).[1]
Licensee Peter O'Reilly 1923-1924
Peter O'Reilly (1889-1952) was the licensee of the Grand Hotel, Gympie during 1923 and perhaps into 1924. He would move on from this hotel to manage the Federal Hotel in Childers.
Peter commenced advertising for the Grand Hotel in the Catholic Advocate on 12 Jul 1923 and continued through to at least 22 November 1923.[2] Peter succeeded Frank St. Henry as proprietor of the Grand Hotel, Gympie when Frank moved to the Australian Hotel in Boonah.[3] Peter would later take up the proprietorship of the Australian Hotel for a substantial period of time.
Family Connections
In 1940 Colin McCallum, grand nephew of Alexander McCallum married Peter O'Reilly's daughter Molly. This is one of a number of hotels that at one time were managed by the McCallum family and were subsequently managed by one of the O'Reilly family.
