From a distance, it looks like there are no buildings on the slopes of kunanyi / Mount Wellington.

But appearances are deceiving.

Several structures exist underneath the mountain’s thick blanket of blue gums, including Lost Freight Café at the Springs and the Chalet on Pinnacle Road.

And once upon a time, there was a hotel!

During the 1890s and early 1900s, local politician Henry Dobson lobbied the Hobart City Council and the state government to build a hotel or sanatorium at the Springs.

The idea was strongly opposed because there were concerns that the area’s fresh water would be contaminated.

In December 1906, it was proposed that all waste liquid would end up in a septic tank situated away from the fresh water supply. This resolved the dispute, and Henry Dobson formed the Hotel Mount Wellington Company, which promptly locked in several investors and built the Springs Hotel. The total construction cost was £3,300, which is about $277,174 in today’s money.

The hotel was officially opened on Saturday, 14 December 1907, by John Evans, the then-Premier of Tasmania. The Mercury called it ‘an ideal tourist resort’, stating:

“The building is a two-storey one, constructed [in the Federation style] with special regard to the comfort and convenience of visitors. There are sixteen bedrooms, bathrooms with hot and cold water, and large drawing, dining, smoking, and sitting rooms. The verandah extends almost round three sides of the house, enclosed with glass on the south side, and there is an afternoon tea rotunda. The aspect of the hotel is excellent, as it faces east by north, and most of the rooms are, therefore, bright and sunny.”

The hotel soon had a croquet lawn, a tennis court, vegetable and fruit gardens, and a grazing paddock. The building itself would go on to be renovated and extended several times over the years.

Guests could enjoy a hot meal at the hotel, but were not allowed to drink alcohol because it was never granted a liquor licence.

Although it was popular with walkers and day visitors, overnight guests only sometimes frequented the Springs Hotel. Therefore, it was never financially successful.

It burned to the ground in the 1967 bushfires and was never rebuilt. The land it stood on is now just a flat grassy area.

The Site of the Springs Hotel (Slow TV)

Bibliography

Tas That Was is a column that includes:

  • anecdotes of life in Tasmania in the past;
  • historical photographs of locations in Tasmania; and/or
  • documentaries about locations in Tasmania.

If you have an anecdote or photograph you’d like to share with us, please send it to [email protected].

Callum J. Jones studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania. He has written fiction and non-fiction for The Tasmanian Times since 2018. He can be traced by the smell of fresh coffee.

Follow him on Twitter (@Callum_Jones_10) and Facebook (@callum.j.jones.creative).