History - Mundaring Weir Hotel

Mundaring Weir Hotel

History

The Hotel was built to accommodate the rush of visitors viewing the construction of the Weir and for the men working on the construction site. Sly grog had been discovered on the site and three police officers stationed at the Weir were keen to get alcohol under control.

In 1898, the Jacoby brothers built a single storey building called the Reservoir Hotel. The building was situated adjacent to the railway line on the first piece of freehold next to the weir easement.

In 1906, Fred Jacoby constructed a two-storey building as part of the Hotel and renamed it the Goldfields Weir Hotel.

C.Y. O'Connor, the engineer responsible for the Goldfields water supply would often stay overnight in one of the rooms upstairs, rather than travelling back to Perth at night.

Initially the rail line from Mundaring to the Weir was for goods transport only, so the licensee would pick up visitors to the Weir from Mundaring station by horse and buggy.

When the rail line was taken over by the Railway Department from the Works Department, two weekly trains would come to Perth. The last stop before the Weir, called Karda Mordo, was opposite the Community Hall, now the arts and crafts centre. The beer kegs for the Hotel would be unloaded here and rolled down the hill to the Hotel. The invoices from the Swan Brewery are still addressed to Mundaring Weir Hotel, Karda Mordo.

Some of the bricks used in the construction of the Hotel were found to originate from brick works in England. It is believed they were ballast in the sailing ships used for transport to the colony. These ships would stop for supplies in South Africa on the way out and the seeds for the large Flame trees at the back of the Hotel would have been picked up on one of these supply stops.

An accommodation wing with 12 rooms was situated in what is now the beer garden, and overnight stays were very popular. The Hotel was advertised as 'the sanatorium of the West' Karda Mordo, 'Amongst the Mountains'.

During the second World War the Weir was considered an enemy target and guards were posted. The roof of the Hotel was painted dark and part of the cellar was made into a bomb shelter with access from the ballroom above, the shelter is now the kitchen for the downstairs cafe.

The current owner/operator Jens Jorgensen bought the Hotel in 1984 when it was on the verge of closing down. The property was run down, the grounds were littered with old car bodies and horses were grazing at the back. In the pursuing years the Hotel has been transformed into a wonderful destination for people wanting to get out into the forest without having to travel too far.

Early milk supply a the Hotel Sunday Train outside the Hotel