18/09/2026
History Unlocked // The Court House Hotel 🍻⚖️
Look at these snapshots of Macquarie Street’s past! Shown here is the Court House Hotel which once sat between the old Post Office Clocktower (today’s Exchange) and the old National Australia Bank building (now home to Mission Australia).
Built in 1868, substantial improvements were made in 1883 (hence the year on the hotel), it was demolished in 1960.
Thanks to being just steps from the old Macquarie Street Court House, and the gaol walls, it was often used as lodging for travelling circuit court judges, barristers and court reporters.
However, being that close to the justice precinct was a double-edged sword for local troublemakers, it meant that when crime happened at the hotel, the trip from the bar to the cells was a very short walk!
Dubbo's historic newspapers are packed with mischief from inside and outside the hotel gates:
The Midnight Prowler (1896): Herbert Self was caught red-handed inside visiting physician Dr. Slate’s private hotel room at 1:00 AM. Self was sentenced to 6 months in Dubbo Gaol for being unlawfully on the premises.
A Bad Round of Drinks (1912): A visiting butcher kindly shouted a man named John Sheedy a drink at the Court House Hotel bar. Sheedy repaid the hospitality by swiping the 8/6 in change off the counter and running for it. He was swiftly tracked down and escorted just up the street to serve 14 days in gaol.
The Backyard Ambush (1919): Hotel porter Charles Thistleton went into the backyard late at night to turn off a running tap, only to be ambushed, knocked out, and robbed by a gang. Culprit Thomas Carrol copped two months' hard labour behind our sandstone walls.
From brazen con men to late-night scuffles, the Court House Hotel was rarely quiet, and the gaol was always close enough to welcome the rowdiest guests.
Images courtesy of the Australian National University Archives.
