A 120-year-old, one-time local watering hole turned residence has hit the market ready after 60 years in the same family hands.
The Old Kerry Bridge Hotel is a well-known and loved property in the small rural Queensland town of Kerry, which was built in 1904 and officially opened in 1905.
The Old Kerry Bridge Hotel has hit the market for the first time in 60 years. Picture: realestate.com.au
It became a popular local meeting place for the community and accommodation for travellers, and was even the gathering point during search and rescue efforts following the famous Stinson aircraft crash in 1937.
Angie Sanft’s grandmother Lorri Wilde took over the business 60 years ago when she moved to Kerry from Melbourne.
Ms Sanft said the hotel was the hub of Kerry at the time, which Lorri ran with her three daughters.
“They were also there serving beers as well because all of a sudden it became something where everybody had to pitch in and make sure that this business ran,” she said.
The pub became a cafe in the 1980s known as the 'Pub with no beer', before it was converted into a family home. Picture: realestate.com.au
“It's funny because obviously now that we're at the point of selling, there's a lot of hype around it.
“The stories are coming out of the woodwork …. People that met there and then got married and had children, and stories about people being young and going out to the pub and what it was like during that time.
“My Nan would feed 60 people out of her little kitchen with a little two shelf oven in there, as well as running the pub.
“She said to me, she used to have about three hours sleep, and then get up, clean the pub, do her hair for the next day.”
Relics from its heyday remain, including signage and the original bar. Picture: realestate.com.au
The hotel continued to serve the community until its closure in 1974 and in the early 1980s, the historic building operated as a popular café known as the ‘Pub with No Beer’, before it became Lorri and her husband’s private residence.
Relics from its heyday remain, including the storeroom, the original cold room, bar, signage and the lounge room was formerly the pool room.
The property was was built in 1904 and officially opened as a hotel in 1905. Picture: realestate.com.au
With Lorri about to turn 91, the family have made the decision to place the three bedroom home on the market.
Ms Sanft’s hope is for the new custodians of the property to restore it to its former glory.
“It was such a massive part of the community. When you think about a small community and the things that would have happened there, the celebrations …the exchanging of information, all of that.
“It was really the hub of Kerry. Whatever was happening, it always went through the bar.”
The Queenslander-style home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Picture: realestate.com.au
Sales agent Garth Weatherall from Bartholomew and Company Realestate said it was the first time the property had been listed for sale in 60 years, and would suit a buyer “starting from scratch” or an established renovator.
“I think the auction will be a good day. It'll just be a lot of the community coming down to support Lorraine,” joint sales agent Nicole Vaughan said.
Kerry sits around 15 kilometres south of Beaudesert in Queensland's Scenic Rim. Picture: realestate.com.au
“They're a tight knit group through there. They all help each other.”
The auction of 1536 Kerry Road, Kerry is scheduled for August 22.
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