And in the east a star appeared. 3 wise men followed it until it
came to rest over the place where the Christ child was laid. They
brought gifts for the child such as gold, frankincense and myrrh.
It was this child that was to become the King of the Jews and
Saviour of all. But now onto another star! Built in 1875, the Star
Hotel is the oldest surviving wooden building in the city of
Traralgon. It was situated on the eastern side of the Traralgon
creek, on a triangular piece of crown Land, bordered by Peterkin
and Munro streets and the (then) Rosedale Road (later known as
Bridge St., then George St.).
Above: The STAR Hotel 2000
Frank George Hickox purchased this land for the sum of
£12.10.0d. and he built a six-roomed building which he named
The Star Hotel. A licence to sell liquor was granted on 24th June,
1875, to Hickox by the Rosedale Licensing court. The Star was
constructed of timber cut from trees in its surroundings, using
straight saplings for wall studs. It was lined with timber
boards which were split by hand, using an axe, and were secured
with hand-forged nails, beneath a sapling and shingle roof.
In 1876, Hickox sold the Star Hotel to Edwin Kaye, who arrived in
Traralgon via the Walhalla goldfields. Kaye operated the Star Hotel
until 1882 when the construction of a new bridge on the Rosedale
Road across the Traralgon creek meant that the Star was no longer
situated beside Traralgon's main thoroughfare. Edwin Kaye
closed the doors of the original Star Hotel and transferred the
name and. licence to new premises located in Argyle Street, on 22nd
December, 1882.
Angus Cameron took possession of the Star Hotel in February 1884
and Mary Cameron (Angus' wife) obtained the Title in 1887.
Mrs. Cameron ran a boarding-house at the premises and the building
took on the new name of "Long Bridge House". During Mrs.
Cameron's occupancy, the house underwent major renovations - the
gabled extension was added and the original hessian ceilings were
replaced with Baltic pine (tongue & groove) or pressed
metal. Other alterations to the original building were the
erection of 2 brick chimneys, verandahs and iron roofing.
Mrs. Cameron owned the property until her death in 1923.
(The STAR Hotel before
re-siting. Photo Alan Wilson)
"The Star" remained vacant until 1926 when it was purchased by
Charles O'Mara, a farmer from Glengarry, who rented it out to
tenants.
The building was sold in 1946 to Mrs. Evelyn Simmons and it was
once again renovated during her ownership. The hessian and
wallpaper wallcoverings were removed and replaced with masonite or
plaster. Mrs. Simmons died in 1972, leaving the
original Star Hotel to her 2 granddaughters. It was through the
generosity of the Swiety family that the Star Hotel was donated to
the people of Traralgon under the guardianship of the Traralgon
& District Historical Society, in the centenary year of the
building, 1975.
Today it stands only metres away from its original site, restored,
as a testimony to the initiative and endurance of the early
settlers.
The Star Hotel now offers an insight into a part of Gippsland's
cultural heritage.
I would have liked to hide a larger cache here but I could
not find a good spot. The Star hotel is open on the weekends and is
now a cafe and local craft place so be carefull on Friday, Saturday
and Sunday. While you are there you might like to sample the
delights. The current operators of the Star Hotel are aware of the
cache and its hiding spot. I went there the otherday and enquired
if they did and they asked me if I had found it yet? I informed
them that I hid it there. They are now wiser about our game.
