Customs House Hotel

The ‘Customs House Hotel’ was established in 1868 and is located directly opposite the Customs House and residence. It was erected by George Galbraith who owned an earlier hotel, the Steam Packet, in Richmond Street. In 1868, he built the first stage of this two storey hotel on the corner of Kent and Wharf Streets. It comprised five sitting rooms and 20 bedrooms. Galbraith then leased the hotel to another local publican, John Franklin, who extended it further along Wharf Street and then purchased the hotel by mid-1871. This project included a large billiard room on the ground floor. During 1901, the verandas were reconstructed and the old timber railing removed and replaced with iron balustrading. A new accommodation wing at the rear was constructed in the early 20th century. The hotel was regularly refurbished over time and was used as the setting for the movie ‘The Delinquents’, starring Kylie Minogue in 1989. The building was completely refurbished in 2007 and operates as a lounge bar and restaurant.