Walkabout Creek Hotel, McKinlay, Qld

Echuca, The Star Hotel

It’s just on ten in the morning and at the Star Hotel and there’s an expansive bloke running around like a blue arsed, carrying on half a dozen conversations at once, advising staff on special arrangements, taking calls on his mobile and shaking hands with some early starters.

 His name’s Paul Jarman and he’s got ten minutes to spare,  “if we’re lucky’.

Paul was ‘born into hospitality’, probably, I’m guess about 50 odd years ago.  His father ran the pub down in Rochester but in his twenties Paul headed overseas, working in Paris and London before coming back to Echuca at the turn of the century to raise his kids.

A self-described, ‘river man’, he’s done the full length of the Murray in a tinny. It took him just over three years off and on and he managed a drink, he guesses in “98% of the pubs”. The trip convinced him of his connection to the river and the pubs convinced him of his desire to own one.

In 2009 along with another local couple, he and his wife bought the “pretty run down” Star Hotel and in the decade since, including a major renovation of the front section facing the main street in 2013, the place has been fully made over.

The work involved retaining the working class character of the back section facing the river and the town’s old port, a bar which had from the start been the haunt of wharfies and river boat crews – blokes who’d drink with dirty hands.

The Star first opened in 1867 and to deal with the heat it advertised that, “a large underground bar….. has been excavated.”  This subterranean slop house was known from the start as, “The Shades”.

It wasn't always a money-spinner. Just four years later its owner was declared insolvent with debts of £351/8/3 and assets of just £66/0/0. The press announcement of his bankruptcy gave the reason as “Losses at the Star Hotel”.

It was taken over and the new publican made a better fist of it. To make the most of the quieter periods, he multi-tasked the accommodation rooms.

In 1877 the Riverine Herald ran an advert: “Dr Butler, Military Surgeon and Master of Midwifery….. may be consulted at all hours at his private rooms at the Star Hotel, Wharf, Echuca.” I’ll just leave the image of a bloke combining Military surgery and midwifery and doing it in a pub with you and I’ll move on!

But even this wasn't enough and in 1881 the empty Star Hotel was advertised for lease.

In 1897 the Local Option winds blew up the Murray to Echuca, where the over whelmingly Protestant  Temperance zealots found some strange sympathizers – the publicans who were all struggling to make a quid in this town of three dozen pubs. A poll was conducted and as the Bendigo Independent observed in its coverage of the plebescite: “The lion and the lamb laid down together. The publican and the prohibitionist went peacefully to the poll together and cast in their respective ballots. Publican and prohibitionist alike voted for a reduction in the number of hotels.”

The opposing the forces, the bonifaces and the wowsers had joined forces because by now the town had some 40 pubs, equivalent to one hotel for every 14 ratepayers. To keep them all going, the same paper raised its editoral glass to the, “Echuca people ….(who) for many years (have) been in the habit of sorely but heroically punishing their stomachs throughout the day and over night and their unfortunate heads in the morning.”

The good burghers voted to cut the pubs by about half but a seriously hardcore group of diehards (over 10% - 47 out of 400)  urged that all forty should remain.

Like, no doubt, the livers of the stalwart 47, the Star Hotel didn't survive.  It lost its license and could no longer provide alcohol and liquor. Well, not legally at any rate.

The wharfies weren’t impressed. The place was right across from the docks and a thirsty worker is looking for drink not exercise.

The pub’s cellar, so beautifully cool in the hot post knock-off arvos was pretty close to their ideal waterhole – close, discreet and cool. Only one things was lacking to make the place perfect. The workers and the owners got down and dirty and built a tunnel under the street and then up to the fresh air.

Now they had an escape route if the cops ever tried to raid the place, and the sly grog started flowing and “The Shades” got truly shady. The underground hideaway bar has been fully restored not so much as a museum as a tribute to the ingenuity born from thirst of those desperate to drink and those desperate to serve!

Paul has to go. The day’s started and there’s people queuing to speak with him. Anything else just call him, and he’s off.  I mooch around the place and decide it’s five o’clock somewhere so time for a taste. Ah decisions! The blackboard menu lists over three dozen. There’re ales, porter, lagers, pilseners, stouts and ciders. There’re craft beers from down the street and across the state. There’s amber nectar from the Czech Republic, China, Ireland, Belgium and a cider from Sweden.

The seating is varied and comfortable. There’s conspiratorial nooks and bar front stools and no matter your mood or your company, you’re going to be comfortable. All off it’s tastefully done and with an obvious sense of style and humour.

Out back, past the pizza oven is the far more old school open area looking out to the wharf esplanade.  This is history in good hands.

This blog post is a fraction of the chapter on Echuca in my next book, "Drinking the Rivers".  It might just be the book’s longest chapter with stories of Henry Hopwood who founded the town and the Bridge Hotel, exhaustive coverage on the last great bare-knuckle fight in Australia between Foley and Hicken, the storming of the Echuca Bridge and how this town gave rise to the saying, “Happy as Larry”. The book’s due out in August 2020 and to register your interest in buying a pre-publication, signed copy just email: nothingbutthepub@gmail.com with ‘Drinking the Rivers’ as the subject and include your full name.