The Mount Pleasant Hotel

The Mount Pleasant Hotel is one of Gympie’s most well-known pubs and for good reason. It has a rich history which dates back to 1868, having quenched the hard-earned thirst of the first gold miners of the Gympie region.

The first known licensee of the pub was a gentleman by the name of Noah Raper, who took over the licence in 1868. As the 19^th century rolled on, a steady stream of licensees came and went, including Marion Shanahan (1884), John McGuire (1886), Richard Gill (1887), Alice Ann Johns (1892), Richard Wearne (1893), Annie Gill (1894), Gilbert Garrick (1897), Sharah Ann Shanke (1898), Thomas Williams (1899), Daniel Donohue (1900) with many more following throughout the 20^th century.

Another key family involved with running the Mount Pleasant hotel was the Billett family, who took over as proprietors in the early 1900s (pictured).

Photograph below: The Billett family standing outside of the Mount Pleasant Hotel ca.1900

Image source: Gympie Regional Libraries- local history photo collection (donation)

Photograph below: Kathleen and her daughter Annie Billett on the top verandah of the Mount Pleasant Hotel. Below is Harry Billett with Boyd and Maisie Billett in the entrance to the hotel.

Image source: Gympie Times newspaper article, 2^nd July 2016.

The hotel has survived a series of unfortunate events over the years, including a tornado which tore through Gympie on the 22^nd of September, 1932, ripping off several roof panels and destroying the side wall of the kitchen.

Photograph below: 1932, Murphy’s Mt Pleasant Hotel aftermath of tornado

Image source: Gympie Regional Libraries- local history photo collection (donation)

Photograph below: Mt Pleasant Hotel kitchen 1932, the aftermath of the tornado.

Image source: Gympie Regional Libraries- local history photo collection (donation)

Some 86 years later, on the 23^rd of July 2018, the hotel’s bottle shop survived a terrifying car crash, when a car slammed into the side of the bottle shop, ripping a hole in the exterior wall (Gympie Times article, 23^rd of July 2018).

Despite these hardships, the hotel has continued to serve the community with great entertainment, a furnished bar, and of course a range of “liquors of the best qualities” (Advertisement: Gympie and its district, 1885).

Source: Advertisement in Gympie and its district, J.A. Thackeray 1885

Ian Kidd, who took over ownership in 1999, said the reason for his purchase was because it was his “favourite watering hole”. A Gympie Times article from 2 July 2016 cites Mr Kidd’s plans to restore the hotel to its former glory. With a history virtually as old as Gympie itself, the Mount Pleasant Hotel stands as an iconic reminder of the region’s rich architectural and cultural heritage.

Photograph below: Mount Pleasant Hotel Gympie, 2003

Image source: Gympie Regional Libraries- local history photo collection (donation)

Reference List:

Gympie Libraries Local History Photograph Collection. (1900-2003). Gympie: Gympie Regional Libraries.
Jones, D. (2016). Historic Mount Pleasant. [Online]. Gympie Times. Last Updated: 2nd July 2016. Available at: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/gympie/historic-mount-pleasant/news-story/00b764db31f [Accessed 18 March 2024].
Preston, J. (2018). Chaotic car crash tears hole in Mount Pleasant Bottle-O. [Online]. Gympie Times. Last Updated: 23rd of July, 2018. Available at: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/gympie/chaotic-car-crash-tears-hole-in-mount-pleasant [Accessed 18 March 2024].
Queensland Family History Society. (1996). Gympie Hotels and Publicans Index 1843-1900. Queensland: Queensland Family History Society. p.152.
Thackeray, J.A. (1885). Advertisement: Mount Pleasant Hotel. Gympie and its district. 1885.
Tozer. V. (1909). Advertising. Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette. [Online]. 29th of May 1909. Available at https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/189695691?searchTerm=Billett%20%22mount%20pleasant%22 [Accessed 18/03/2024].