Babinda Hotel

This is the only hotel in Queensland to have been built by the state government. It was constructed between 1916 and 1917 under the Labor Government’s State Enterprise Scheme, aimed at providing employment and competing with private enterprise in an effort to keep prices competitive. Other state enterprises included butcher shops, pastoral stations, fish supplies, saw mills, produce agencies, cold stores and mines. From 1911, the sale of intoxicating liquor was prohibited in the Babinda Sugar Works Area, but the prohibition led to a black market. The state-run hotel fulfilled the dual purpose of providing quality accommodation for sugar workers and controlling the liquor they drank. The two-storied building had 58 bedrooms and one of the largest bars in Queensland. It was the entertainment venue for important visitors, and Prime Ministers Hughes and Bruce were both greeted at civic receptions here. The hotel was sold following the 1929 election. The second class accommodation wing was demolished in the 1970s. Substantial damage was caused by Cyclone Larry in 2006, leading to new roofing and internal repairs. During Cyclone Yasi in 2011, the cellar became a cyclone shelter for local residents.