Grand opening for historic Dululu Hotel
The incredible overhaul of the historic Central Queensland outback pub, the Dululu Hotel, will be celebrated with a grand opening this weekend, after it was gutted by fire nine years ago. VIDEO, PHOTOS.
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The incredible overhaul of the historic Central Queensland outback pub, the Dululu Hotel, will be celebrated with a grand opening on Sunday, after it was gutted by fire nine years ago.
The original hotel was built in 1928, but was wrecked by a fire.
In 1935, the building was moved from Mount Morgan, where it was a boarding house, out to Dululu.
The Dululu Hotel was once again gutted by a fire in September 2015.
Banana resident Nicole Newman took over as one of the owners of the Dululu Hotel, which will also be known as Gulliver’s Waterhole, in March 2023.
The Dululu Hotel will boast a new white exterior and feature a coffee shop with homemade cakes, bar, outdoor dining area at the rear of the venue, and eight rooms upstairs plus an apartment, which will be known as the big boss room.
Ms Newman said another feature, which wouldn’t be implemented straight away, would link to the history of the Dululu Hotel and area in the garden, including the story of a ghost that supposedly lived in the hotel.
“We will have those on QR codes as people walk through the garden," she said.
Ms Newman said renovations had been ongoing since July 2023.
“It’s coming together perfectly,” she said in August.
“Like all renovations, it takes longer than you think.
“We have pushed our opening date back numerous times.
“The reason we are doing that is the finish on everything here is high end.
“It has been stripped back to the bones.
“Everything throughout has been done with intense thought. There was nothing just whacked in.
“It’s a work of art.”
She said the grand opening of the Dululu Hotel would be on Sunday, October 6.
Ms Newman said it would be a carpark party with a live band and start off more family focused and slowly merge into an adult crowd later in the evening.
She said the first pour of beer was up for auction, with all proceeds donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The winning bidder will also take home a pewter mug engraved with ‘Back on tap 2024’.
Ms Newman said the first stay in the big boss room would also be auctioned off on the opening night, with proceeds donated to Dolly’s Dream.
“We have been closed for nine years,” she said.
“That first beer will be pretty special.
“There’s so many people, not just within this district, but all over that are just chomping at the bit waiting for this to happen so we are expecting a big attendance.
“You don’t want to miss out.
“Bring a swag or book a bus because it will be a big one.”
Dululu Hotel manager Kirsty Doogan said it was going to be a “really exciting day”.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she said.
“Everyone has been asking about it for months. It’s been a massive build up.
“There’s been so much love and energy put into the build and the opening.
“It’s going to be such an exciting thing for the community to have something this special with this much history and this much heritage brought back to life.”
Ms Newman, who is also one of the owners of the Banana Accommodation Village and Banana Hotel Motel, said on Tuesday she had also taken on the Theodore Hotel.
“We will be slowly starting to make our mark there,” she said.
“It’s a much loved hotel by the community.
“It has a special place in everyone’s heart in Theodore because it’s contributed so much to that community.
“We want to continue that.”
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