Charters Towers’ recently sold Court House Hotel to be renamed as Corty Hotel
At 137 years old, Charters Towers’ iconic Court House Hotel is getting a fresh new look, complete with live music, a beer garden, and its very own craft brewery. See what else is changing here.
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A new owner for Charters Towers’ historic Court House Hotel has paved the way for several exciting changes, including a new name, plenty more live music, a courtesy bus, beer garden, and a craft brewery.
Fondly known by many locals as Irish Molly’s after an Australian/Irish themed renovation, the Court House Hotel will be known as the Courty Hotel from next week.
Through his sale of Charters Towers’ historic villa Ayot Lookout, RWC Townsville selling principal Graeme Russell was approached in mid-2023 by the owner of the Court House Hotel, who was motivated to sell due to family reasons.
With his great-grandfather Robert Russell’s flyer advertising his work as an auctioneer, stock, and station agent stuck to the 137-year-old hotel’s wall since the early 1900s, Mr Russell jumped at the opportunity to sell the two-storey colonial-style timber hotel.
During his marketing campaign, Mr Russell encountered Airlie Beach resident Mark McPherson, who had been on an epic quest to buy a pub, visiting about 50 venues across four states.
An electrician by trade with 10 years experience as an audio engineer, Mr McPherson had spent recent years perfecting five different beer recipes in his private brewery, with the goal of buying a pub and opening a craft beer brewery.
Driving through Charters Towers, he thought, ‘Wow, this is a really nice town’, before receiving a warm greeting from friendly locals at the Court House Hotel, which he regarded as “perfect”.
“The main plus that sold me on this pub was the fact that it had no poker machines because I just don’t like poker machines … I think it attracts the wrong crowd, and it sucks people’s money,’ Mr McPherson said.
“I wanted to make sure that the pub was friendly, had big, hearty meals, and heaps of entertainment.
“My next project here is doing a big, family-friendly beer garden, and then build a little craft brewery out in the backyard, keeping all of the front half of the pub as is, serving the normal beers … and half a dozen (craft beer) taps.”
A huge fan of live music, he intended to provide entertainment on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with midweek gigs “if there’s passing bands or artists travelling through”.
“I’ve also just bought a shuttle bus, so I’ll be the only courtesy bus in town picking people up and making sure they get home safely,” he said.
The property was boosted by a 30KW solar array on its new roof, and a revenue stream from 12 guest rooms and the manager’s residence upstairs.
Speaking after the property’s sale settled a fortnight ago, Mr Russell said a lot of “dreamers” were attracted to advertisements for the sale of hotels.
“Everyone wants to own a pub, and you’ve got to find the (right buyer who) has got the capacity and skill to be a publican – it’s a unique role,” he said.
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Originally published as Charters Towers’ recently sold Court House Hotel to be renamed as Corty Hotel
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