FINNIS VALE HOTEL
| In the mid-1850s, William Randall bought a property from H. Jones and named it Randalsea. On July 29, 1857, the town was officially subdivided under the same name. Over time, it was called various names, including Finniss Vale, Rapid Bay, Second Valley, and sometimes Randalsea.
Some buildings predated 1857, including a two-story hotel built in 1851. Originally licensed as the Farmer’s Arms in 1856, it was renamed the Farrier’s Arms in 1857–58 and became the Finnis Vale Hotel in 1859. The stone building featured a corrugated iron roof, a front verandah with wooden posts, an ornate wooden balustrade, and a stone chimney.
John Gill served as the licensee from 1918 to 1920 before moving to the Bush Inn in Willunga. Desmond Graham Carlsson, previously of the Aldinga Hotel, held the license from 1920 to 1922. In 1927, the license was transferred to the Hotel Victor in Victor Harbor. In the early hours of March 2, 1928, the now de-licensed hotel was destroyed by fire. A baker noticed the blaze and alerted residents, but the building could not be saved. The fire, likely starting in the cellar, was fueled by a southerly breeze and the original shingle roof beneath the iron roofing. The roof eventually collapsed, destroying the furniture and belongings inside. Today, a private single-story dwelling occupies the site.  c1890 State Library [B 36384] |
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| FARMERS' ARMS INN | 1856 | 1857 |
| FARRIERS' ARMS INN | 1857 | 1859 |
| FINNIS VALE HOTEL | 1859 | 1927 |
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c1920
State Library [B 17576]
c1920
State Library [B 27243]