Black Hill Hotel (Scarsdale)

For other hotels with the same or similar names, see Black Hill Hotel.

Black Hill Hotel

Black Hill Hotel, 1861, State Library of Victoria
History
Town	Black Hill
Street	Ballarat-Hamilton Road
Opened	1857
Closed	1885
Known dates	1857-1885
Demolished	Destroyed by fire, November 1885
Google maps	-37.6779002,143.6338139

The Black Hill Hotel was a hotel near Scarsdale, Victoria, <1857-1885.

Site

In January 1862, a group wanting to establish a local Road Board:

"...selected Black Hill Hotel as the most central place for meeting, being three miles from Smythesdale, five miles from Italian Gully, five from Carngham, and four from Linton."

This description, plus the location near the creek would place the hotel near the bridge over the Woady Yallock Creek, on the old Glenelg Highway, close to the road to Black Hill. Google Map Ref: -37.6779002,143.6338139

There was also a Black Hill Hotel near Scarsdale.

History

In October 1860 a meeting at the hotel was called to try and organise elections for a local roads board. The meeting was unproductive, as rivalries between the towns of Smythesdale, Linton, and Carngham, prevented a fair compromise being reached.

In September 1861 a meeting was held at the hotel to elect a roads board. Several people at the meeting objected, claiming that the meeting was illegal as it had not been organised according to the act:

The whole of the proceedings were very quiet and orderly, presenting a remarkable contrast to those of the meeting held in the same place last year. But few persons were present, less than thirty. The persons who went from this district did not arrive until rather late and found that the Board had been elected previously, and that the next question was as to the rate of assessment to be struck. Mr O'Meara handed to the Chairman a protest against the meeting electing a board or striking a rate on the ground that it was not legally constituted, as the magistrate who convened it was not a resident of the district, and also that ten clear days notice had not been given. The Chairman, Mr Edward Jackson, of Brown's, read the protest to the meeting, but thought it was too late.

In September 1863 a disturbance at the hotel was reported in the newspaper:

INDECENT EXPOSURE.-Catherine Douglas was charged with having at the Black Hill on the 21st instant, indecently exposed her person in a public place; also with having broken sundry panes of glass at the Black Hill Hotel, the property of Fred. Parkinson. Mr Sub Inspector McNamara informed the bench that the prisoner had just come out of gaol. The prisoner was fined 40s and 27s as compensation, or, in default, seven days' imprisonment.

In October 1863, the publican, Frederick Parkinson, was involved in a dramatic rescue of the H. Blunt, publican of the Victoria Hotel at Linton, who had become trapped in a flooded creek.

In December 1879 an attempt was made to refuse the license:

John Goughan applied, for a license for the Black Hill hotel. The police objected. Mr Humpage appeared for the applicant. Constable M‘Cormick put in the Gazette showing that the ratepayers objected to any increase of licenses by vote. Granted.

J. Gargan applied for a license for the Black Hill hotel, Scarsdale. Mr Humpage appeared for the applicant, and Constable McCormack objected on the ground that the ballot in the west riding of Grenville-shire, in which the house was situated, was opposed to the issue of any new licences. Mr Humpage urged that as the house was licensed when the act came into operation, it was not a new house. The bench upheld that view and granted the license.

In August 1881 there was another dramatic rescue from the creek:

FLOOD AT SCARSDALE. (FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) The heavy rain on Tuesday afternoon last caused quite a flood in the creek at Scarsdale, where Mr T. Farrell, jun:, had a very narrow escape of being drowned while attempting to rescue a man in a waggonette, who had got stuck in the middle of the stream. It appears that late in the evening Mr Geo. Preston, of Linton, who was on his way home from Ballarat in a waggonette, with one lady passenger, tried to cross the creek from the Scarsdale side, when, in the middle of the stream, the traces broke, and the horse got clear of the trap, leaving the vehicle with its occupants stuck in the middle of the rapidly rising flood. Mr Gargan, of the Black Hill hotel, sent his son to Scarsdale for assistance, and Mr Farrell, with his two sons, Councillor Murrill, Mr. T. Bird, and others, went down to the creek to render what help they could. Mr T. Farrell, jun., kindly volunteered to ride out to the stranded vehicle with a rope; but when he got into the middle of the creek his horse plunged and threw him into the water. He fortunately managed to catch the shaft of the waggon as the strong current was bearing him down, or he must have been drowned, as the strongest swimmer would be powerless in such a rush of water. Mr J. Farrell then managed, by wading into the water up to his middle, to throw a rope within reach of the waggon, and the vehicle was soon dragged out, the occupants being thus rescued from their dangerous and uncomfortable position. The great need of a bridge over the creek, on the road from Ballarat to Linton, has been repeatedly urged on the Grenvilleshire Council by the Post Office Department, as well as by private travellers; the work, however, has hitherto been postponed, principally from want of funds. Perhaps now that Councillor Murrill—who, by-the-by, previously advocated the enaction of the bridge—has been an eye-witness of the dangers of the present crossing whenever a few hours' rain occurs, he may succeed in impressing upon his brother members the real necessity that exists for the work being set about speedily before any lives are lost. It is also worthy of notice that the above occurrence has shown the truth of Councillor M'Fadzean's remarks when the question of licensing the Black Hill hotel was discussed, viz.—" That it was very necessary to have a house by the creek side, so that there would be someone handy to render assistance in case of an accident to persons crossing the creek," as Mr Preston would have been in a far worse plight but for the help obtained by Mr Gargan, of the Black Hill hotel.

The hotel was destroyed by fire in November 1885:

FIRE AT SCARSDALE. A correspondent writes: —On Friday morning, at about 4 o’clock, the people in the vicinity, of the Black Hill, Scarsdale, were aroused by loud cries for help. The whole of the valley of the Smythe’s Creek was lit up with a tremendous glare, and it soon became apparent that the well-known and long-established hotel known as Halvey’s Black Hill hotel was in flames. The first on the spot to render assistance was Mr John Bird, who took Mrs Halvey and her three children to his place till a suitable home could be provided for them. Only a few chairs, a table, the buggy, and a box of clothes were all that could be saved. Had there been any means of sending to the fire brigades at Smythesdale or Linton, the stables and sheds, with the outhouses, could have been saved, for these were not destroyed till an hour after the main building was in flames. It is understood that the building was insured in the sum of only £100, which covers about one third of the loss. What makes the loss more keenly felt is that on the previous day the sum of £11 was brought home, the result of hard earned money, the sale of wood, and that was destroyed with the building, also the stock of drink and groceries procured for the Christmas holidays; the liquor only intensifying the fury of the flames. As to the origin of the conflagration, a fire was burning in the bar parlor. Mrs Halvey had risen early, as her custom was, and while going out for a short time into one of the other rooms she discovered the place on fire, gave the alarm, and with her husband and a young man staying with them (who deserves great praise for his efforts to save the property) succeeded in saving the children, one a baby in arms. The building was one of the first, if not the first, hotel put up at the time of the rush to the Black Hill in 1857, and at the time of the old coaching days was a famous house of call for travellers, being on the road from Ballarat to Hamilton. The building was formerly erected by Mr Fred. Parkinson. It then fell into the hands of Mr Gagan, and latterly belonged to Mr Thomas Halvey. The building will be missed by old travellers to the Western district. It is fortunate, however, that there was no loss of life, and that part of the loss was covered by insurance.

Community Involvement

Local politics

• Roads Board
  • October 1860, a meeting to try and establish a local roads board.
  • September 1861, meeting to elect members.

Inquests

• October 1863, on James Hilliard of Scarsdale, had part of foot amputated after an injury with an adze, died during a second amputation to remove infection.

The People

• In June 1859 the license was granted to Frederick Parkinson.
  • His license was renewed in June 1861, 1862 and December 1871 the publican was Frederick Parkinson.
• In December 1879 the license was granted to John Gargon (spelled as Goughan) despite objections.
  • In August 1881 the publican was Mr. Gargan.
  • In December 1881 John Gargon's license was renewed.
• In December 1883 the license was granted to Thomas Halvey.
• In December 1884 the license was granted to P. Fabray.
• In November 1885 the publican was Thomas Halvey.