Kaimkillenbun’s Bun Hotel to receive a facelift over the coming years

A historic bush pub 200km west of Brisbane is receiving a facelift, with the renovations revealing secrets from the turn of the century. See inside here.

The Bun Hotel in Kaimkillenbun, north of Dalby, is currently undergoing significant renovations. Photo: Social media.

Renovations on Kaimkillenbun’s iconic 112-year-old Bun Hotel have revealed secrets thought lost to the sands of time.

The Western Downs hotel, located about 200km west of Brisbane, was originally a wooden building and was constructed in 1908 by a man named Lynagh, who had plans to open a hotel with the closest watering hole 20km away in Dalby.

The plan was however promptly shut down when Reverend George Tulloch and the church campaigned against the hotel with the town vote retuning a no vote.

Three years later gold miner Edwin Higgs again applied for a hotel license and this time was successful, and so the Bun Hotel was born.

More than a 100 years later owner Jaimee Neilsen walked into the building and said it was love at first sight.

“We have another pub in Miles and we were looking for another one in the Western Downs, I walked in and saw the pressed tin, I was like ‘yep this is the one’,” she said.

“You just have to find a feature that you resonate with and it goes from there, the possibilities are endless.”

Bun Hotel Renovations

Bun Hotel Renovations

Ms Neilsen said they were currently in the middle of renovations which would give the over a century old pub a face lift and provide more space for patrons.

“The plan is to have a new outdoor eating area and to redo all the floor inside the hotel, we have just removed the old internal cold room and built an external cold room with a new beer tap system, we are also moving the bar back to give more room for patrons to sit and mingle with their nearest and dearest,” she said.

“The renovations are ongoing, we bought this three and a half years ago and we’ve done little bits and pieces, it’s a labour of love, we have lots of projects over the next couple of years which will reshape the whole place.

“We want to put nice iron balustrading and lacework around the hotel to give it that Victorian Colonial look, like grand old ladies those things never go out of fashion.”

Ms Neilsen said it was vital the pub maintained its heritage look and feel throughout the renovations.

“Everything we have been doing is restoring the original features, instead of going and getting brick wallpaper we have actually restored the original bricks, the feature wall is the bones of the pub,” she said.

“You don't see many two story brick property that were built in the 1800 or 1900s the only other one is Jimbour House, it definitely was a big grand building for the time.

“All the original pressed tin is still in the building so we are restoring that and showing all the original brick off to keep in line with the heritage, I don't think there is anyone alive who would've seen those bricks in that bar.

“Even with the beer taps we got the old porcelain bobble bases so it looks old and keeps with the heritage none of this modern chrome it keeps with the time period and it will last forever.”

Bun Hotel Renovations

Ms Neilsen reflected on the historical significance of the site and its importance to the community.

“We have signatures on the wall, In World War I when the local men were enlisted they came to the pub before they left and signed their name on the inside of a cupboard up stairs and that panel is now in our fireplace room, it's really beautiful,” she said.

“A few World War II veterans added their names as well, it's quite renowned.

“I am very sentimental, I just love the saying if these walls could talk, you touch the bricks and think the things they would've heard or you look up at the pressed tin ceilings and think this has seen a lot, even the old ceiling on the bar looks like its rusty but it’s actually old nicotine smoke from when they used to smoke in the bars, it's like they’re still here with you.

“Pubs are really important, they are hubs of community where you go for sad things and goods things and happy times and I think it's beautiful to look at something and think it has seen things we haven't.”

Originally published as Kaimkillenbun’s Bun Hotel to receive a facelift over the coming years