BEACHPORT HOTEL
| The Beachport Hotel began its life in 1879, opening just a month before the Mount Gambier railway reached Beachport. Originally known as the Beachport Hotel, it opened at the same time as the present Beachport Hotel, which was then called the Bay View Hotel. A report from early 1880 described the two new establishments as “two-storey stone structures, furnished with every convenience. Besides possessing all that is required in the way of parlours, bedrooms, etc., they are each furnished with bath and smoking rooms — two important extras that few hotels in the district possess.” However, Beachport’s small population could not sustain two large hotels. The Beachport Hotel lost its licence in 1889, and the building went on to serve many different purposes over the next century, including as a coffee palace, boarding house, and grocery store. In 1990, the building was renovated and reopened as Bompas, marking its return to hospitality. In recent decades it has received extensions to both sides, a new roof, and reconstructed upper verandahs. While it has lost its original chimneys, the masonry façades fronting Railway Terrace and Beach Road remain largely intact, preserving the charm of this early Beachport landmark.  |
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| BEACHPORT HOTEL | 1879 | 1888 |
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