Freemasons Hotel, Geraldton

The Freemasons Hotel is a historic hotel in Geraldton, Western Australia. It is located at 79 Marine Terrace in central Geraldton, at the corner of Durlacher Street.^[1][2]

The Freemasons Hotel was founded in the early 1870s, operating on a site adjacent to the modern location. By 1891 the licensee was Onslow Austin Trigg. A new Freemasons Hotel was designed by Henry Stirling Trigg, and built in 1895.^[2] The hotel was one of only a few substantial buildings in the area.^[3]

The building cost £6,000, and the furniture a further £2,000. There were 45 rooms in all. The ground-floor contained the front bar, a 21-by-17-foot (6.4 by 5.2 m) entrance from Marine Terrace, a 17-by-18+3⁄4-foot (5.2 by 5.7 m) saloon bar with three entrances, as well as four 13-by-12-foot (4.0 by 3.7 m) parlours, and a 17-by-15-foot (5.2 by 4.6 m) music room. An arcade provided access from the street to the bars, as well as a luxurious billiards room, measuring 33 by 22 feet (10.1 by 6.7 m), and featuring a low-cushion table imported from Melbourne. A 35-by-17-foot (10.7 by 5.2 m) dining room could seat 60 people, and was fitted with an expensive walnut sideboard and overmantel, and matching furniture. A separate corridor off the arcade provided access to the rooms used by boarders and lodgers. The ground floor also had a luggage room, and a reading and smoking room.^[4]

A large jarrah staircase, flanked by ornate columns supporting an arch, provided access to the upper level. There were 21 bedrooms upstairs, as well as a smoke-room, ladies' parlour, ladies' lavatory, bathrooms, and linen lockers, all arranged around six corridors. Three of the bedrooms were double rooms and the rest single rooms. The exterior of the building featured a balcony around three sides, and a tower rising from the corner of the building.^[4]

The hotel remains a landmark in Geraldton.^[2] The hotel was listed in the local Municipal Inventory on 23 June 1998.^[1] Restoration works c. 2001 replaced two verandahs over the footpaths and the corner tower, which had been removed.^[2] Further work in 2014 restored the doors between the front and lounge bars, and the building was repainted.^[5]

The hotel is also a live music venue; artists such as Jon English, The Angels, Angry Anderson, Daryl Braithwaite and the Bondi Cigars have performed there.^[5]