This land was originally inhabited by Mr W Harcus in the 1860s, specifically where the Botanic Hotel now stands. The founder of the East End Market, Richard Vaughan, commissionned architect Michael McMullen to create the building in 1876-77 to serve as a family hotel, shops, and terrace housing. Timothy Edwin Murphy built the structure. It is perhaps the best surviving example of McMullen’s work. Seven dwellings are attached as a two-storey Classical Revival terrace, which are bluestone with stucco Italianate detail. Each of the former houses (now offices) have maintained their stucco ornamentation. The Chambers’ basements come above ground level, which adds to the buildings’ grand aura. Each of the former houses has bay window fronts, which are rare in Adelaidian terrace houses. The Botanic Chambers and Hotel is one of only two remaining examples of hotel/terrace house combinations in the city, and one of only a handful in South Australia.
1880s: Struggle for a License and Esteemed Guests
Vaughan applied for a license in 14 September 1882 for the Botanic Hotel but was denied. The inspector and Mr W Symon opposed Vaughan’s application. The bench denied Vaughan’s request despite the “large number of witnesses… called to prove that the house was really required for the accommodation of families visiting the city, and for visitors from other colonies”. The bench “decided that the plans furnished did not provide for an hotel sufficiently large for a family hotel and refused the application”. Later that year, on 23 December, Vaughan advertised in Adelaide Observer that he “deposited with the clerk of the Adelaide Licensing Bench plans of an hotel” for his recently-erected building, and that he intended to soon apply for a publican’s license.
Vaughan’s subsequent application for a license on 20 March 1883 proved successful, although Inspector Bee again argued that the hotel was not sufficiently large, and that even if it was the yard was not big enough either. Vaughan’s witnesses lent support: Mr Downer claimed the necessity for a good family hotel was “very great”, and “the landlord of the house had averred that if he had had a license he could keep his house full of boarders”. The inspector’s opposition explained that hotels in Melbourne with small yards were still quite successful, and the bench awarded Vaughan his license. Vaughan renovated the Botanic Hotel that year, which cost £1 200.
However, Inspector Bee’s March 1884 annual report of “the public-houses of the colony” took away the Botanic Hotel’s license as Vaughan either demonstrated “drunkenness or other improper behaviour”. Later that year in November, Mr C Kelly of Mt Gambier became landlord of the Botanic Hotel and “invited the attention of visitors to the metropolis to his house”. On 23 December 1887 the New South Wales Commission hosted Mr JC Neild, Executive Commissionner for New South Wales, and Mrs Neild at the Botanic Hotel. The Commission gave Mr Neild an illuminated address “with several miniature photographs being placed neatly inside” and Mrs Neild a golden bracelet with the crest of New South Wales. The Neild couple were planning to leave Australia after the successful Adelaide Jubilee Exhibition. The South Australian Register considered the Botanic Hotel reception a “cheerful gathering”.
On 22 March 1888, Mr TW Masey, local director of the South Australian Mining and Smelting Association, came to Adelaide from London via HMS Carthage. He spoke to The South Australian Advertiser on the copper and silver markets and advertised that he would be staying at the Botanic Hotel until his departure and could be visited there. He stayed in Adelaide at the hotel for about five weeks. On 16 October that year, The South Australian Advertiser announced that comedian, teacher, and former Botanic Hotel lessee Mr JL Hall had passed away three days prior. On 24 October, Border Watch reprinted a travel writer’s musings that “the old Botanic Hotel” has “luxurious rooms [that] look out to a prospect which can only be compared to that from Macquarie-street, Sydney, or the Queensland Club in Brisbane”.
11 April 1889 saw the arrival of Irish politicians Sir Thomas HG Eamonde and Mr J Deasy promoting the Irish Home Rule Movement. After coming to Adelaide Train Station from Melbourne, the pair next stopped at the Botanic Hotel, where local religious figures paid their respects. Botanic licensee Mr Charles Kelly also announced his plans to be a West End candidate in the town’s next elections. The next month, Botanic Hotel hosted another esteemed guest for dinner and a few nights’ stay: champion sculler (or rower) Henry Ernest Searle. A January 1890 Border Watch article speculated that Kelly would carry the “Roman Catholics and the Licensed Victualler’s Association” vote.
The Botanic Hotel’s stream of prestigious guests continued with Mr Henry’s George’s stay in April. George, an American land reformer, met with the American Consul and the Single Tax League at the hotel. In an interview, George expressed pleasure that the United States adopted the Australian ballot and hoped that “we shall take some other lessons from Australia, and among them that of the cheap and simple mode of transferring land”. On 10 June, The Advertiser published an editor’s letter written by an anonymous Melbourne native staying at the Botanic Hotel. The writer complained of the postal service:
Sir- can you inform me why in some particulars the postal arrangements of Adelaide are so much behind those of the sister colonies? I have been staying at the Botanic Hotel for some ten days or so, and in no single instance has the first delivery of letters taken place before 10 am. As I am informed that North-terrace is situated in the city proper it does seem a little strange that the letters cannot be delivered before that hour. My home is in St. Kilda, four miles from Melbourne and nearly half a mile from the local post office, yet our first delivery is never later than 8 am. It therefore appears to me that an extra letter carrier or two would meet the difficulty, as I have sighted the postman for fully 20 minutes before he arrives at the Botanic Hotel. The annoyance thus caused to visitors and business people goes without saying, and the remedy lies with the postal authorities. I am
-PUZZLED.
The Advertiser did not publish a response.
1890s: Serenades, Deception, and Racism
The 1890 Descriptive Australia and Federal Guide Extended Edition wrote that Adelaide had 122 hotels, ‘the chief [being] the York, the Botanic… and many others’. Additionally, The Aldine History of South Australia, published in 1890, declared that the Botanic Hotel, ‘from an architectural point of view [is] the finest in the city, and known to be one of the leading hostelries’.
Upon performing at the farewell concerts of their Australia tour, singers Sir Charles and Lady Hallé were serenaded by the Adelaide Liedertafel at the Botanic Hotel on 13 August 1890. The group sang “Ich Grüsse Dich” and “Stille Stille”, which they picked especially for the occasion. Liedertafel president Mr F Armbruster invited Sir Charles and Lady Hallé to become patrons of the Liedertafel, which the couple happily accepted. About two weeks after, the famous English comedian John L Toole stayed at the Botanic Hotel after coming from Melbourne on 30 August.
Botanic licensee Mr C Kelly took Edward Robertson, alias Edward Roberts, to court on 29 May 1891 for “obtaining £4 from him by means of a valueless cheque for £20” on 19 May. Kelly testified that Robertson came to his hotel on 16 May and asked if the hotel had received a letter for him. Robertson claimed that he and his sister were station owners, and that he owed Kelly money for meals he had there prior. He paid 7s. 6.d, “and apologized for not being able to stay at the hotel”. Kelly saw Robertson again on 19 May, and tendered Robertson “a cheque for five guineas for the Irish Evicted Tenants Fund. He stated that his sister was of a benevolent turn of mind, and had heard of the sufferings of the evicted tenants in Ireland. The cheque was on the Bank of Adelaide, Port Augusta branch, was returned in due course marked ‘no account’”. At this same meeting, Robertson informed Kelly that his sister would soon visit Adelaide and asked if Kelly could accommodate her. Robertson indicated that his sister would only stay four or five days, and asked to pay for her stay now. Botanic licensee Kelly refused, assuring him he could pay when his sister had left. Robertson then gave Kelly a £20 cheque, “asked [Kelly] to let him have as much as he could and credit his sister with the balance. That cheque was also on the Port Augusta branch of the Bank of Adelaide. [Kelly] gave him the money because he believed the cheque to be genuine. It was returned from the bank. The sister never came”. Kelly and Robertson were committed for trial.
Later that year, on 16 July, Connie Burgoyne and Dolly Stow were charged with damaging the windows of the Botanic Hotel to the value of £5. The cabman who was driving these women “attempted to get them away from the police and after they had broken the windows and used insulting language towards the barmaid”. Constable Hammer received praise for arresting the two women despite their throwing rocks at him and their resistance. Burgoyne had to pay £10 15s. 6d., and Stow £8 15s. 6d. Both women had the choice of paying the fine or going to jail for three months. On 4 August, Burgoyne and Stow’s cabman, Edward Edwards, had his day in court. Constable Hammer and his colleague stated that they heard windows breaking and saw the two women. When Burgoyne and Stow spotted the officials, they jumped in Edwards’ cab, who drove the women away. Burgoyne and Stow screamed as they made their escape;
They were caught near Pulteney-street on North-terrace, and were screaming and swearing then. Defendant [Edwards] had to be told three times to drive the women to the Police Station. Mr. Hammer, special constable, corroborated the evidence. Edward stated that he did not know the women had broken windows when they got into his cab. He did not hear himself called on starting. In fining defendant £1 and £1 7s. costs Mr. Pater said a more disgraceful had never happened near that hotel. It was almost an insult to common sense for the defendant to say that he did not hear the drunken women breaking the glass and making a disturbance. He had inflicted a small fine on account of defendant’s previous character.
The Botanic Hotel again had a prestigious guest on 11 September 1891 in American boxer and actor John L Sullivan, who was promoting the Irish drama “Honest Hearts and Willing Hands”. About 100 guests greeted Sullivan upon his arrival from Melbourne at the train station. By 24 December of that year, Mr Charles Kelly had left Adelaide and Botanic Hotel to host a new hotel in Broken Hill. On 12 February 1892, new Botanic licensee Wentworth D’Arcy Uhr brought Harold Norman (who used aliases Dryor and Fry) and George Kraemer (alias Warren) to court for using false pretences to secure lodging on 5 January. Norman claimed to have a horse and trap at Hill & Co.’s stables, and Kraemer supported this. Their bill totaled £13 and 6s. after a week at the Botanic Hotel, which was charged to Norman but never paid. The pair were remanded until 15 February and bail set at £100 each. The trial started on 27 February, where Uhr shared that Norman claimed to be related to the Governor of Queensland, and barmaid Minnie Cusack provided evidence that Norman and Kraemer consumed four small bottles of champagne during their stay. The pair were charged with false pretences and conspiracy, which usually means a sentence from 12 months to 2 years. The judge gave Norman and Kraemer a two year sentence with hard labour, since “they had been detected doing what they had been found guilty of in a wholesale manner” and they were “well brought up and were better acquainted with the gravity of the offence than more ignorant men were”.
Henry Morton Stanley- the Welsh explorer who proved in his trans-Africa expedition that the Nile River came from the Congo River and not the Lualaba River- also stayed at the Botanic Hotel on 10 March 1892. A South Australian Register reporter met with Stanley and referred to him as the “White Chief” and “Hero of Africa”. In his interview Stanley commented on “the coloured-labor question” in the country:
If I were a resident in Northern Australia, the first consideration would as to how make the best of the capital invested, and closely knitted in with that would be the labour problem, white or coloured. Now it appears from all said and done that white labour fails there as it has in some places. I have seen a good deal of coloured labour in the Southern States of America and in Equatorial Africa, and under proper control and direction it brings as good results as white labour. The average white man is practically of no use for manual labour in a tropical climate, but he is good at directing and organising.
On 7 September that year, the Adelaide Cycling Club had their monthly meeting at the Botanic Hotel and agreed to have their headquarters there. American vocalist Madame Antoinette Sterling stayed at the Botanic Hotel during her tour, and was serenaded by the Adelaide Orpheus Society there on 17 May 1893. On 7 July that year, Sterling’s husband Mr Adam McKinlay died at the Botanic Hotel from “consumption of the bowels”. Madame Sterling heard of her husband’s death by a telegram, as she was touring in New Zealand. On 23 July, having cut her tour short, Madame Sterling returned to the Botanic Hotel in Adelaide. She shared that her late husband had been sick ever since landing in Australia, and she had planned to forfeit the rest of her tour in New Zealand. But the Adelaide Syndicate, which was managing her tour, would have lost thousands of pounds, and Mr McKinlay encouraged Madame Sterling to continue her tour. So she left.
The 2 August 1894 issue of South Australian Register wrote that “the World-famed Swiss Somniloquist and Herbalist of Rosenberg, Wellington-parade, East Melbourne” Otto B. Hug would pay a “professional visit” to Adelaide every alternate month at the Botanic Hotel and see clients. Shortly after midnight on 15 January 1896, landlady Mrs Hillier heard noises in the bar. She went downstairs and heard voices. The multiple intruders removed three bottles of spirits and 12s. 9d. A discovered missing board on the cellar flap would have only been big enough for a small boy get through. In 1897, tiered balconies characteristic of early South Australian hotels were added to Botanic. On 23 January 1898, previous Botanic licensee Mr C Kelly died of pneumonia at the North Adelaide Private Hospital. South Australian Register wrote on 28 October that year that Otto B. Hug, the “celebrated Swiss medical clairovyant”, would be in Adelaide at the Botanic Hotel next month, and that patients “at a distance can be diagnosed by sending a lock of hair cut close to the roots. No person but patient must touch the hair. Correct diagnosis guaranteed. Fee, 10s. 6d.” On 12 November, Mrs TP Hudson, “wife of the well-known and popular entrepreneur”, died from premature childbirth at the Botanic Hotel.
1900-1910: Charities, Cons, and Fatal Sleepwalking
In 1901, the Botanic Hotel hosted a farewell reception for Bert Ayliffe, who was going to fight in the South African War. On 5 May 1903, Alexander McDonald pled guilty to having stolen £3 18/ worth of clothing and accessories from a guest at the Botanic Hotel, and went to jail for six months. Days later, on 6 May, the Botanic Hotel was linked to crime again: Charles Lawton approached Richard Edward Vernon on steamer Sydney headed for Western Australia, and indicated that he had several horses on a vessel he was taking west. Lawton then offered Vernon a spot on the ship, which Vernon accepted. Lawton confided in Vernon that he had “a number of saddles and bridles at an hotel in Port Adelaide” that he would have to partly pay for before they could be delivered. Lawton asked for just £1, since he did not have any change. Vernon only had a £10 note, which he gave to Lawton. The pair headed near Central Hotel in Port Adelaide, when Lawton left to presumably get change. He went into the hotel, went out the back entrance, and met with an accomplice to take a cab to Adelaide. In Adelaide, Lawton and his friend went to Botanic Hotel, where they were arrested hours later. Lawton was convicted of being “a rogue and a vagabond, and sentenced to three months ‘ imprisonment with hard labour”.
A walking match between the Fire and Marine Insurance offices took place on 8 August 1903, and started from the Botanic Hotel. The route was 13 miles long. The Adelaide Zoological Gardens reported on 29 February 1904 that Mr Kerrison of the Botanic Hotel had given “two fine seals” from the Julia Percy Islands, or Deen Maar, off the coast of Victoria, Australia. A Quiz reporter interviewed Mr JH Wilbur, a missionary of the Government of West Australia, at the Botanic Hotel. Wilbur emphasised the opportunities available in West Australia for “pastoralists, agriculturists, and orchardists”. Captain Barclay and Mr McPherson returned from their exploring expedition to map the area “north of the Finke River and south of the MacDonnell Ranges” and talked with a Register reporter at the Botanic Hotel on 10 December 1904.
On 23 December 1905, Martin Noal was committed for trial for having allegedly stolen from Richard Mortimer Williams “a gold watch and chain, a hat, and handkerchief, valued at £10 5/, two sovereigns, and 24/ in silver”. The strangers met at Botanic Gardens, had drinks at Botanic Hotel, went elsewhere for more drinks, and walked to Victoria Square at about 7 pm. Noal left Williams and his friend at this point, who were ostensibly drunk, as they lay down in the square. At about 9 pm, Williams woke up to someone searching his pockets. He recognized the man as Noal, who ran away, although he shortly ran into a constable and was arrested. Another Botanic-linked theft occurred 10 January 1906: guest Mr David Hogarth woke at about 3 am to find a man in his room. The burglar fled. Hogarth reported his pants, with nine sovereigns in the pockets, as missing: they were soon after recovered on the grounds of Adelaide Hospital. The Advertiser‘s 12 January issue remarked that George Brown, “who is said by some to be mad, but whose lunacy is questioned”, was committed for trial for the theft. This would add “another scene in [his] notable career” of crime. He later was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for his 10 January crime. Two months later, on 2 March 1906, Brown admitted to having shot Thomas Burke, a 28 year old labourer, outside Adelaide Oval on 7 January, just three days before his theft at the Botanic Hotel.
In early June, a con man used the Botanic Hotel’s prestige to make money. On 7 June 1906, a daily Adelaidian newspaper published a wanted ad for a man to fill “a position of trust” as a security guard; applicants were to meet advertiser Mr “Charles Chambers”. There, the alleged employer informed the applicants that they must give “a spot cash guarantee of £20”. Two detectives and a constable met Mr “Chambers” and his winning applicant on 9 June as they left a boarding house with luggage in hand. Mr “Charles Chambers” claimed to be Edward Ernest Beaumont, “although police records are said to show that he has accommodated himself for years under a variety of titles”. His accomplice, who initially presented himself as James Coles, confused aliases and later declared himself to be Charles Cook.
Two months later, on 17 August 1906, 50 year old Botanic Hotel lodger Mr Stobie sleepwalked from his third storey room and fell from the window. Mr Stobie was found unconscious on the Hotel’s grounds at about 1:30 AM. He was then taken to Adelaide Hospital, where he was found to have “fracture of the skull, and probably laceration of the brain”. At 2:20 PM the same day, Mr Stobie died at the hospital. George T Matthews, Mr Stobie’s brother-in-law, spoke to The Advertiser and insisted that Stobie “was a man of sober habits”. Botanic Licensee Michael Kerrison echoed Matthews’ claims of Stobie’s sobriety. The Advertiser quoted post-mortem examiner Dr Chapple’s declaration that he had found:
Blood was very abundant just beneath the skull. There was a very large fracture running right across the skull. Some of the underpart of the brain was severely pulped. Death was due to injuries to the head. The injuries were such as might occur as the result of a fall of 16 ft. from a window to the footpath. The patient never regained consciousness.
In late October 1906, Michael Kerrison announced he would be leaving his post as Botanic Hotel’s licensee. On 9 March 1907, the Botanic Hotel was the end destination for Professor Williams, who was hypnotised by his wife and sent from Tivoli Theatre on Pirie Street. Much to the delight of spectators, the entranced Professor Williams drove a carriage to the hotel and found the knife his wife had hidden. New Botanic licensee Frederick Charles Hawkes’ trial for insolvency revealed that he had bought the property for £1 223 3/. However, the South Australian Brewing Company financed Hawkes’ purchase, but because of his inability to make payments the brewery took possession of the hotel on 13 February. Hawkes protested this wholesale seizure of the Botanic Hotel because business had improved and he had renovated the property.
On 1 November 1907, Botanic licensee SM Sutherland accused Alfred Edwards of assault in the hotel the week before. Edwards entered the bar with a friend, ordered beer, and allegedly slapped Sutherland on the back of his head. Upon Sutherland’s warning that Edwards should not do that again, Edwards threw a glass of beer on his face. Edwards paid £3 11/ and spent a month in prison. Weeks later, the Botanic Hotel was a court topic again: on 18 November, Sutherland charged Margarita G O’Comel “with having unlawfully absented herself from his employ on November 12” and asked for £1 as compensation (half a week’s wages for O’Comel). Employer Sutherland stated that O’Comel had asked for her wages on 12 November and expressed her desire to work elsewhere. Sutherland told her that she would be paid the next morning, and that she could not leave this job yet because she had not worked the Saturday afternoon before. O’Comel’s lawyer argued that Sutherland had committed to pay O’Comel weekly but did not do so. When O’Comel left her job, Sutherland still owed her £2 3/, which she recovered at court. The judge decided that
The trouble had been brought about by the unbusinesslike manner in which the informant evidently paid the wages. It was not for servants to approach their employers and for their proper remuneration. There would be an order for the payment of 12/ compensation without costs.
In late May 1908, construction of Adelaide’s electric tramway had begun. By 26 May, the westernmost point of the track bed could be found at the Botanic Hotel. On 31 January 1909, Phillip Alexander, resident at the Botanic Hotel, went to court for having allegedly attacked a constable on 27 January. Foot-Constable W Kelly testified that Alexander assaulted him as he was arresting a woman by hitting his ear and kicking his back. Because of these injuries, Kelly took three days off and still felt affected. While Kelly was arresting the woman, several people were gathered around and made various menacing remarks. Kelly brought the arrested woman and Alexander back to jail, but Alexander was not detained as Kelly was uncertain if he was the attacker. However, John Martin & Co.’s watchman said Alexander was the attacker, so the accused came to the police station. The watchman, Michael Macauley, yelled out, “That’s a cowardly thing for you to do, Alexander”, as the man assaulted Kelly. Alexander responded that it served the “dog” right. Macauley claimed that there were 12 people on the footpath during the time of the assault, and 200 people on the roadway.
Phillip Alexander, in his defense, claimed he was on his way home that night when he saw a woman “being roughly handled” by a constable. Alexander and another man allegedly approached the constable and asked for his number. The other man lit a match to see Kelly’s number, and Kelly stood up, swore at the man and struck him on the chin. Alexander insisted that he was not the man to assault Kelly, although “he was pushed fairly close to him”. Picture show employee Henry Rankin testified that one man hit Kelly and a man in a light suit kicked Kelly- several witnesses claimed that Alexander was wearing a light suit that night. However, Rankin remarked that Alexander was close to the disturbance but did not participate. The Bench found Alexander guilty of “an assault of a particularly cowardly nature”, and fined him the maximum penalty of £10 and the £1 5/ costs of the hearing.
A mere two months later, on 22 March, Botanic licensee Sutherland accused labourer William Henry Smith- a previous employee under alias Frank Clark- of stealing a double-barrelled breechloading gun valued at £5 that belonged to Sutherland. Sutherland claimed that Smith, under the name of Frank Clark, was employed at Botanic for a month two years ago, during which time the gun was taken from the lumber room. A detective accompanied Smith to a gunsmith, who shared that Smith had sold the gun to him for £4. The gunsmith correctly identified Smith, but he denied having been there before. Smith was committed to trial.
On 12 October 1909, a large number of the delegates of the Seventh Congress of the Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire in Sydney came to Adelaide on an official visit to South Australia. The Botanic Hotel hosted some of these delegates, who were welcomed to the city by a mayoral reception at Adelaide Town Hall.
1910s: Cricket Players, Scientists, and Soldiers
On 3 May 1910, Leonard George Webb, a lodger at the Botanic Hotel, was committed for trial for bigamy. Webb was accused of marrying Blanche Isabella Rayner in 1904 in London, and marrying Jessica Mabel Smith in Broken Hill in 1909, while Rayner was still alive. On 16 December 1911, an unidentified man was knocked down by a tram in front of the Botanic Hotel; he died hours later. The Advertiser printed his details in hopes that he could be identified:
Age, between 25 and 30 years; height, 5 ft. 8 in.; dark complexion, dark brown hair, grey eyes, clean shaven, artificial teeth (upper set); dark rough serge coat and vest, blue serge trousers, plain black lace-up boots, soft white twill shirt with collar attached, grey soft hat, leather pouch purse with chain attached. In a pocket was a letter from F. Wood, William-Street, Junes.
The 19 December issue of The Advertiser identified the deceased as John McNamee, a 27 year old labourer. His sister last saw him days before the freak accident, and noted that he was in good health and did not have hearing issues. On 29 January 1912, the Botanic Hotel hosted the Seagull Swimming Club (the oldest in existence in Adelaide and suburbs) as cash prizes from their carnival City Baths were distributed to successful swimmers and divers. The 4 July issue of Daily Herald covered the prominent Ferry family and revealed that Botanic licensee Sidney Ferry had “more jumping races to his credit than any rider in South Australia”. Adelaide’s annual interstate cricket carnival in late December resulted in Victoria’s team stay at the Botanic Hotel.
In August 1914, the British Association for the Advancement of Science held their annual meeting in the southern hemisphere for the first time, in Australia. 130 members stayed in Adelaide. Mr AR Brown, Mr J Clark, Mr WR Davidson, Mr David Dreghorn, Ms A Morgan, Ms E Payne, Ms CC Ridler, Ms EA Seligmann, Mr C Michie Smith and Ms L Smith, Mr S Witkiewicz, and Mr W Hoffman Wood, members or guests of the British Association, all stayed at the Botanic Hotel during their time in Adelaide.
On 19 August 1915, a Register reporter interviewed English watercolour artist William Joseph Wadham at the Botanic Hotel. The Adelaide-based artist confessed that he had been in Adelaide for four weeks, and had deliberately been staying low to finish work before meeting with friends. Wadham foreshadowed his 1923 move back to England- he would stay two or three weeks to “meet all [his] brother artists”, then go to London for business. Wadham looked back to his “serious obstacles”, mainly financial in the beginning of his career, and declared that his “pathway has become golden, and it has been worth all the years of struggling for prestige”.
In the midst of the First World War, sick and wounded returning soldiers were transported from Adelaide Railway Station to Keswick Hospital on 10 January 1916 passed the Botanic Hotel on the route, as “military authorities” advised Register readers in advance. The Botanic Hotel saw injuries of a less serious extent the next year, on 23 January: two boys riding bicycles were knocked down by a motorcar. However, they were taken care of at the hotel and did not need to go to the hospital. In June 1917, Mrs M Hender became licensee of the Botanic Hotel. A parade of Anzacs returning from war on furlough took place on 31 October 1918 in the afternoon; the Register article enquired “the citizens of Adelaide to show in some substantial form the their appreciation of the great services of the men who emblazoned Australia’s name on Gallipoli in the first invasion of the practically impregnable iron slopes”. The Botanic Hotel served as the second-to-last stop for the parade, which would end at the Cheer-Up Hut.
1920s: Betting, a Fire, and Renovations
By April 1920, Botanic Hotel was among the 108 hotels in Adelaide. Mrs Hender’s request to renew the hotel’s licence revealed that the property had “24 bedrooms, of which 16 were devoted to the use of the public”. Between January 1919 and February 1920, the hotel hosted 6 962 people. The inspector found the “premises were lighted by electricity, were well furnished, and cleanly kept”. While there had been 11 changes of licensee since 1909, none of them were convicted. On 11 May that year, Colonel W Mailer, previously an administrative employee for the Commonwealth Forces and more recently a commissionner for the War Service Home Act, died at the Botanic Hotel. He would have a military funeral.
On 20 March 1922, Alfred Briggs faced a charge of unlawfully betting at Botanic Hotel two days prior. Briggs claimed that he went to the hotel with a large group of friends, and “there were too many [people] for one man to ‘shout’”. So he and his friends “arranged to play ‘sell a horse’”, a game where everyone pooled their money for drinks and decided who would order. When Constable Slater spotted Briggs, he had written a number on the wall and was holding money. Slater took Briggs’ book, which had “copied down scratching and dividends in connection with the races”. Slater arrested Briggs, whom the judge found guilty. Briggs had to pay £5 with 15/ costs within two weeks.
The next year, on 14 May 1923, Vincent Norman had a charge similar to Alfred Briggs’ at the Botanic: unlawful betting, for which he paid £10 and 10/ costs. However, upon his arrest Norman gave an alias to the constable. The Adelaide Police Court believed this “was the first case of its kind”, and announced their intentions “to ask the advice of the Crown Law Office whether there was a case to answer”.
Commissionner of Crown Lands and Parliament member Mr Laffer made a humourous mistake in Parliament’s 18 November 1924 session. Mr Laffer, “a great lover of trees”, intended to speak to his colleagues to rally support of the Encouragement of Planting and Preservation of Trees Bill. A News article captured the scene:
“I stayed for some time at the Botanic Hotel and spent every”- [Mr Laffer] began. “Bob.” Mr. Edwards completed the sentence amid loud laughter. “No.” said Mr Laffer. “I spent every hour I could spare in the Botanic Garden. Members opposite are more used to the Botanic Park.”
Mr CR Collins complained that the Botanic Garden’s Moreton Bay fig trees’ “roots come up through footpaths and trip you”, to which Mr Laffer cheekily replied, “Not if a man is reasonably sober”.
At midnight on 28 June 1925, Wirths’ circus band performed “For he’s a jolly good fellow” at the Botanic Hotel to honour the anniversary of Mr Philip Wirths’ birthday. The circus manager Mr G Anderson arranged the inpromptu concert. On 1 January 1926, the East End Market Hotel caught fire around 2 AM. The guests and staff of the Botanic Hotel “lost no time in quitting the endangered building”; the fire brigade on duty positioned two men on the northern side of the fire to protect the Botanic Hotel, which did not report any damage. Days later, on 12 January, Botanic licensee Jane Killicoat appeared before the Adelaide Police Court for having unlawfully supplied liquor on 17 December 1925. The court gave her seven days to pay the fine of £5 and costs of £1. Patrons Reginald C Devonshire, Herbert L Rowering, and Dudley H Shepherd each paid a £5 fine and 15/ costs for having been present at Botanic during a time when liquor was banned for consumption. On 3 March 1926, Chief Inspector TH Davey submitted his report of the licensed premises in Adelaide, 349 of which were hotels. Davey recommended that “substantial additions should be made” to Botanic because of the shortage “of first-class accommodation in the city”.
In anticipation of Prince Albert and wife Elizabeth’s visit to and procession through Adelaide on 30 April 1927, the Botanic Hotel, among others, erected special stands so citizens could view the royals. The Port Adelaide band played at the Botanic Hotel’s balcony to celebrate the royals’ arrival. The 22 March 1928 issue of The Register reported that architect R Short submitted building tenders (proposals) to make “alterations and additions” to the Botanic Hotel. He planned to extend the lounge so it would encompass the public bar, to install new bathroom and lavatory accommodation, and to put in a “fast passenger elevator”. A 25 October 1928 News article announced the end of renovations:
A delightful color scheme in in soft-toned shades is preserved throughout the different sections of the house. Ceilings and walls of hall, luxurious lounge, dining room, saloon, and office have been treated by the Morene decorative scheme, the colorings of which are pleasing and soothing to eye and nerve… An up-to-date hot water service has been installed by Messrs. Williams Bros., of Forestville, and in each bedroom there are hot and cold water services, wash basins, adjustable shaving mirrors, glass shelves, and towel rails… A server from the new and picturesque saloon to the lounge enables guests to be attended to by waiters with the least convenience. The public bar has been removed farther up East Terrace. Afternoon tea will be available in the lounge, where a large fireplace stands in the middle of the room… Modern bathrooms, telephones communicating with a switchboard downstairs, wide plateglass doors, a thoroughly renovated kitchen with white enamel throughout, and many other modern ideas add to the attractiveness and comfort of the hotel. Approximately £8 000 was spent by Mrs Killicoat in remodelling the building.
Director of Adelaide Zoological Gardens Mr AC Minchin spoke to The Mail for its 4 May 1929 issue, and shared that residents at the Botanic Hotel had complained of hearing the lions roar at odd hours of the night. On 18 September that year, the Scotch Old Collegians’ Association held their annual meeting at the Botanic Hotel. In a 1931 issue of The Register News-Pictorial, society writer “Rufus” spoke to Botanic licensee Killicoat, who reminisced on prominent Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova’s 1929 tour in Australia. Pavlova, the first ballerina to tour around the world, stayed at the Botanic Hotel during her performances in Adelaide. Killicoat spoke of how Pavlova had 260 birds staying with her, and that
She engaged one of the best sitting rooms for them and had a fire going day and night. There was one little pet which she called Jark, of which she was passionately fond. Jark would fly about the room and Pavlova used to bath the little chap and he would sit by the electric light at her bedside drying and preening his feathers.
1930s: False Pretences and a Drunken Accident
Botanic licensee Jane Killicoat came to Adelaide Police Court again on 7 February 1930, but this time for a much more serious charge: Henley Beach labourer William Watson sued Killicoat for workers compensation as outlined by the Workmen’s Compensation Acts, 1911-1927, for having injured himself while working at Botanic and subsequently losing his eye. Watson claimed that on 19 October 1929, he was working as a yardman at the Botanic Hotel, and “while making a wedge for an axe, a piece of metal flew into the air and struck him in the right eye. The eye and sight were totally lost.” Watson received £254 7/ for his workplace injury.
The next month, on 26 March, Jane Killicoat accused John James Smith of having stolen three of her white coats worth 30/ at the Botanic Hotel on 14 March. The trial was adjourned two days, and Smith was held in a bond of £20 and a surety of £20. Smith unsuccessfully defended himself at the trial, as he paid fines of £6 15/.
On 7 October 1932 Killicoat became a plaintiff again, this time accusing Andrew Barclay Graham of booking lodging at the Botanic Hotel under false pretences and an alias. Graham presented himself to Killicoat as Captain Graham of the Canadian steamer Victor. When Detective Walters and Constable Leane told Graham they would take him to their offices, Graham said, “Well, I’ll be frank about it, you’ve got one of Australia’s best forgers and false pretence men”. In court, Graham pled guilty to Killicoat’s charges and shared that the Prison Aid Association in Sydney owed him £60, which the organization had been paying in weekly £3 increments. Graham owed £17 to Killicoat for room and board. His trial was adjourned until the next day. Then, Graham promised to leave the state within three days and to pay the unpaid hotel bill of £17. However, on 17 December Graham was found to not have kept his promise: Constables Curtis and Leane found him in bed with a woman in a Clarence Park house, arrested him, and brought him to court. Assistant Police Prosecutor “read out a long list of [previous] convictions which had been recordered against the accused”, and Graham was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment.
On 16 March 1933 licensee Mrs Killicoat and her sister got into “a motor accident driving from Kadina”. Killicoat’s sister recovered quickly, but the Botanic licensee was expected to be in the hospital for another week. On 8 December that year, the Botanic Hotel became a topic of discussion in court again, as John Mason, Thomas Richards, and William John McRea were charged with having conspired to defraud Walter Morgan of £46. Morgan, a visitor from New South Wales, met McRea on Currie Street and went with him to the Botanic Hotel, where they met Richards. Morgan and the two men went walking through Botanic Gardens, and “Richards said there was a home for wealthy mental defectives just around the bend”. Mason then appeared, wearing glasses, and informed the trio he “was looking for an Indian doctor, whom he had paid £20 to have his eyes fixed up”. Morgan assumed the man was from the mental home and proposed leaving the man alone. The trio walked away and sat down. Mason joined them and challenged them to a card game that only “[he], the doctor, and the Prince of Wales can play this game”. Mason then used the three card trick on Morgan: the first bet was for 10/, the second £70, and the third £200. McRea took some money from his pocket, and Richards produced his checkbook. Richards and McRea asked Morgan if he had enough money for the bet, and that they would help pay for it later. Morgan gave them £26, and Mason claimed this as part of the money owed him for the £70 bet. Mason, allegedly mentally ill, told the trio that he would not undertake the bet unless they could produce the money. McRea stayed with Mason to make sure the man did not flee while Richards and Morgan went to the Botanic Hotel so Richards could cash a cheque. Richards “went into the hotel, and told Morgan to stay outside. After waiting a few minutes, Morgan went inside to look for Richards, but there was no sign of him. He went back to the park, but Mason and McRea were gone”. Mason, Richards, and McRea pled guilty to the larceny charge, and the Assistant Police Prosecutor withdrew their conspiracy charge. The hearing was adjourned until the next day.
The German but Russian-born violinist Professor Arved Kurtz arrived in Adelaide on 5 April 1935, and stayed at the Botanic Hotel for a time before giving his first concert in the town on 29 April. On 18 December that year, the Harley Davidson Club had their Christmas dinner at the hotel. The next month, on 16 January 1936, the manager of the Grenfell Street branch of the Commercial Bank of the Australia, Mr OG Witcomb, had his goodbye dinner at the Botanic Hotel before moving to Newcastle, New South Wales. On 2 June that year, licensee Killicoat and her niece, Ruby King of Henley Beach, left for London. On 11 August, Mr GPN Watt, Commonwealth Public Service Inspector for Victoria, and Mr CG Brown, chief accountant in the Postmaster General’s Department, Central Administration, both arrived in Adelaide and settled in for their stay at the Botanic Hotel. A week later, on 18 August, guests celebrated Isabelle Gawler and Allan Dane’s marriage with a lunch at the hotel. On 1 September, Lovina D Opie became the new licensee of the Botanic Hotel. On 12 November, English delegates who went to the Federation of British Chambers of Congress in New Zealand were welcomed to Adelaide by Adelaide Chamber of Commerce with a reception at the Botanic Hotel.
Mona Reed and Jack E Moody celebrated their marriage on 27 March 1937 with a reception at the Botanic Hotel as well. Just two days later, Margaret McDonald and John Sylvester commemorated their nuptials with a party at Botanic. On 10 April, Professor CH Adolph Mann arrived in Adelaide with his wife to “conduct examinations in all capital cities on behalf of the Trinity College of Music”; the pair stayed at the Botanic Hotel. On 9 July, Prospect City Council held their annual dinner at the Botanic Hotel, where Sir William Goodman, chief engineer and general manager of the Municipal Tramway Trust, spoke. Goodman proposed starting a trolley bus system since “it would not be wise to put down another tramway route”. He believed that new routes should be executed by motor buses or trolley buses. However, the “Trust had been held up in installing trolley buses by the difficulty in obtaining high grade tensile steel. Deliveries were five months overdue and the Trust had to take what it could get”.
At 1 AM on 6 August, a 17 year old driver demolished “two heavy verandah posts at the Botanic Hotel”. “Part of some scaffolding erected on [the Botanic Hotel] fell to the roadway, narrowly missing the car”. The boy was injured and went to the Adelaide Hospital. On 24 August, the boy pled guilty to his charge of dangerous driving. Apparently, the boy had been driving his mother’s car, hit a road excavation, and was unconscious when he had reached the Botanic Hotel and knocked down the two posts. The boy paid a fine of £10 with 10/ costs. Court proceedings revealed that the boy left Queen’s College old scholars dance and that he had drunk whisky. Advertiser coverage insisted that “We do not say that this lad was drunk: he may have had a few whiskies which took effect when he went out into the fresh air. He comes from a reputable family.”
In preparation for its 56 new nurses, the Adelaide Hospital used a building ajdoining the Botanic Hotel (and hired by the government) to house their new employees on 14 September. 58 year old Harry Kiepert was found unconscious directly behind the Botanic Hotel on the night of 20 November. He was admitted to the hospital with a concussion and ‘a severe gash on the head’; investigators noticed that there was ‘a large bloodstain smeared’ on the wall opposite from Kiepert. Kiepert did not recall what had happened.
On 27 December, barman Ronald Victor Backstrom appeared in court for having not paid his whole bill for a Christmas Day meal at the Botanic Hotel. After eating and drinking, Backstrom received a cheque for 8/6, and only paid 3/. When police arrived and asked him to pay the cheque, Backstrom said he had only eaten soup. He then refused to give his name or address to the police. Backstrom’s lawyer stated that his client had never been charged before and he had been drunk. Backstrom only had to pay £1 with 8/6 costs.
On 16 February 1938, the lubricating oil manager for Shell Co, Mr Angus McKay, and his wife stayed at the Botanic Hotel. On 28 August that year, the chief executive officer of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Sir David Rivett, stayed at the Botanic Hotel with his wife and son. On 8 October, the mayor of St Peters, Mr EH Hannaford, and his council inspected the city of Adelaide before having a private dinner at the Botanic Hotel. Hannaford and his employees had a dinner at the Botanic Hotel the next year, 12 October 1939, after their annual inspection.
1940s: Charitable Efforts and Social Events
In December 1940, the Botanic Hotel put out a christmas tin to collect funds for the Red Cross Society and raised 10/. On the afternoon of 6 April that year, the ‘Old Crocks’ race, where vintage automobiles race, started at the Botanic Hotel and finished at Glenelg. The Advertiser estimated that the cars’ ‘race’ would take about two hours. 29 June saw the Botanic Hotel host Miller Anderson’s second annual reunion of friends; Anderson would start his department store more than a decade later on Hindley Street. By 20 September that year, the Botanic Hotel formed a group of 9 members to contribute to War Savings Certificates.
On 12 February 1941, Jean Alison Marshall wed Sergeant John Lake Mills of the Royal Australian Air Forces; the newlyweds had their reception at the Botanic Hotel.
On 26 May 1942, Vanda Carleen Borda Tozer was charged with having stolen handkerchiefs worth £3/10/ while working at the Botanic Hotel. The next year, on 20 January 1943, 42 year old William Gilbert Thomas, who had spent approximately half of his life in gaol, was convicted of three charges of larceny from the Botanic Hotel. Thomas, who had 28 previous convictions, was sentenced to nine months in prison. On 29 January 1944, Mary Frances Mahoney and Dennis Edward Travers married and held their reception at the Botanic Hotel. On 12 July that year, Botanic employee Thelma May Underdown was fined £10 ‘for having unlawfully engaged Edward George White contrary to the National Security (Manpower) Regulations’ the previous November.
On 9 August 1945, the South Australian Jockey Club had a farewell dinner at the Botanic Hotel for former secretary Mr R Hynes, who recently resigned because of ill health. The next month, on 3 September 1945, malter Cyril Arthur Howard was charged with illegally betting at the Botanic Hotel the previous Saturday. He admitted to taking 69 bets that day for a total of £15/8/ and was sentenced to one month in prison. On 30 October 1945, 34 year old nurse Annie Elizabeth White collapsed during her stay at the Botanic Hotel and died after being transported to the Royal Adelaide Hospital; she ‘had been in ill health for months’. On 3 December 1945, Ellen Clare Coffey and Lieutenant Sergeant Gordon Kevin Kay wed and had their reception at the Botanic Hotel. On 20 December 1945, the Association of Registered Opticians of South Australia held their annual meeting at the Botanic Hotel, and elected officers before having a social to welcome third-year optometry students.
On 29 July 1946, Jean Kelly, daughter of Army Nurses’ Fund president Mrs JG Kelly, entertained 40 friends made during her training at the Royal Adelaide Hospital with a party at the Botanic Hotel. On 6 November 1946, 22 year old actress Daphne Campbell of ‘The Overlanders’ stayed at the Botanic Hotel to attend the film’s South Australian premiere. The next day, she met with Adelaide’s newspaper and radio press at the Botanic hotel to promote the film. On 8 November 1946, Mr GC Morphett, chairman of directors for AMSCOL (the now-defunct Adelaide Milk Supply Co-operative Ltd, a South Australian ice cream company), welcomed managing director Mr Walter Beauchamp home from his trip to America with dinner at the Botanic Hotel. The other AMSCOL directors and Mr Knowlton V Hicks, consul for the USA, were also present. On 6 December 1946, British Empire Films Pty Ltd hosted a meeting with the media between ‘Eureka Stockade’ director Mr Harry Watt and Adelaide’s press. Actress Daphne Campbell was also present before she returned to Alice Springs with her baby the next day.
On 22 January 1947, the South Australian branch of the Royal Lifesaving Society hosted the Queensland and New South Wales surf champions and members of the Surf Life Saving Association of Australia for a buffet luncheon at the Botanic Hotel. The surfers, who stopped in Adelaide en route to Perth, included captain Jack Ferguson, Neville Brough, Steve Wilkes, Rob Chapman, Ray Matheson, Bob McCouat, Jack Homer, Tony Cuneo, Russell Foy, and team manager Mr Allan Kennedy. Kennedy told the Advertiser reporter that the team would compete in the Western Australia surf championships the following week, and at an interstate carnival the next month. On 4 November 1947, film star Daphne Campbell returned to the Botanic Hotel with her child to ‘take part in the finals of the Miss South Australia Quest of 1947’, a pageant/fundraiser for South Australians with disabilities. On 20 November 1947, ‘local representatives of the wholesale confectionery and grocery trades’ hosted a farewell luncheon for Mr W Davis, South Australian manager of ‘Nestle and Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Co. Ltd.’ before Davis’ move to Victoria.
On 3 June 1949, Mrs H Reid Smith and her husband had 24 of their friends come to the Botanic Hotel for a dinner party before the King’s College old scholars’ ‘green and gold’ war memorial ball at the Palais later that night. Smith served on the ball’s committee. In the 17 December 1949 issue of The Mail, Botanic Hotel chef George Wagland advised ‘Women’s Interests’ readers to make spaghetti Trieste for their Christmas feast.
1950s: Pre-Ball and Pre-Race Dinner Parties
Before the Adelaide High School’s Old Scholars’ Ball on 30 June 1950, school officials and prominent families dined at the Botanic Hotel. On 22 September 1951, during a dinner party at the hotel, Margaret Woghis and Peter Worcom announced their engagement. The 5 October 1951 issue of Alice Springs newspaper Centralian Advocate reported that Botanic Hotel manager Mr Bill Macartney was ‘seriously injured’ by an explosion near a motorboat in Mannum, South Australia. The Advocate indicated that it would be ‘some months before [Macartney] is completely recovered. His hands and face were badly burned in the accident’. On 12 October 1951, Mr and Mrs TC Woodhead of the Combined Steamship Social Club had a dinner party with 8 guests at the Botanic Hotel before the club’s first ball. Also that year, two different New Year’s parties were held at the hotel.
On 14 March 1952, the Botanic Hotel held a farewell dinner for Lois Lindsay, who would soon depart her post with the Royal Automobile Association of South Australia to move to England. Before the Caltex Oil Company’s superstition ball on Friday 13 June 1952, committee members Mr and Mrs Bert Tew and Mr and Mrs EM Wood held separate dinner parties at the Botanic Hotel. On 4 July 1952, Adelaide High School’s staff members and some of the school families again dined at the Botanic Hotel before their Old Scholars’ Ball. In 4 August 1952’s edition of The Advertiser, society writer ‘Vox’ spoke to naturalist Ellen M Archer, who used the ‘elegant group of lemon-scented gum [trees]’ leading up to the Botanic Hotel as an example to encourage the planting of more flowering trees in the city:
Thousands of people doubtless have admired these gums and enjoyed these gums and enjoyed the delightful fragrance they give out on a rainy day… I was glad to note the proposal to plant flowering trees in the city squares. Why not? We need more of them everywhere. Why not the Flower of India?
On 23 June 1953, Heather Bowden hosted an engagement party at the Botanic Hotel for Helen Sherwood and Donald Jacobs, a medical student. All the guests worked at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. On 5 September 1953, Lieutenant-Colonel W Forbes and his wife, from Balaklava, hosted a dinner party at the Botanic Hotel before the 27th South Australian Scottish regimental ball in Torrens Drill Hall. On 19 March 1954, Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Adelaide and had a royal procession through the city; The Advertiser predicted the pair would pass the Botanic Hotel at approximately 10:44:30 AM. That same day, Joy Jenkinson held a farewell luncheon for Mrs FL Weiss, who would soon leave for a sailing expedition of New Zealand with her husband. On 18 June 1954, members of the Redex Around-Australia Club of South Australia invited the entrants to the Redex automobile races and their respective crews to a welcome dinner at the Botanic Hotel. The News shared that ‘those who blazed the trail last year will relate their experiences for those who will qualify to become members of the exclusive club soon’. On 9 December 1954, Botanic Hotel waiter Jaroslav Barta was charged and fined £2 with £1 4/1 costs for having ‘having been present at the playing of an unlawful game ‘of a kindred nature to banker”, along with eight other men, in Adelaide.
1960s Onward
In 1976, the Botanic Hotel had its own dining room; its three-page menu offered appetisers like ‘pickled artichokes & goose prosciutto’ (£10) and ‘salad of asparagus, broadbeans and goats milk fetta’ (£9). Entrees included ‘Gaeng gari of chicken: a rich, mild aromatic yellow thai curry’ (£17), lamb, veal, and steak. Desserts ranged from ‘steamed date and walnut pudding & cinnamon ice-cream’ (£9) to ‘passionfruit creme brulee’ (£8.50) to ‘Thai sticky palm sugar and coconut pudding’ (£8). The menu asked guests to ‘please refrain from smoking’.
In 1984, the Botanic Hotel’s basement was renovated to house a bistro-nightclub. The integrity of the building was respected as original materials were used. On 1 April 1998, The Sunday Mail reported that the Botanic Hotel Dining Room’s decor had ‘the very last word in elegant minimalism, with warm burnished wood and Bridget Ohlsson fruit miniatures’, and chefs Michael Voumard and Alison Cribb had ‘produced sufficient alchemy in the kitchen to win a coveted American Express gold plate and Dine’s Chefs of the Year’. The Dining Room earned praise for its multicultural, seafood-oriented menu with Asian influences.
By June 1998, the Botanic Cafe was a part of the Botanic Hotel, and ‘epitom[ised] Italian style’. Chefs Robert Paglia and James Willis created a menu with rigatoni with sausage and tomato sauce ($11.50), chicken risotto, sirloin steak ‘with a choice of either gorgonzola sauce or eggplant and a red wine glaze’ ($18.50). Wines were available by the glass starting at $3, and writer Greg Huggett declared the cafe ‘one of Adelaide’s best performing restaurants at the moment’. In February 2002, restaurant Bergerac opened and also occupied the Botanic Hotel. Bergerac had a ‘main course of beef in red wine with eschalot sauce’ ($26) and The Advertiser‘s food writer Tony Baker reported in April 2002 that Bergerac was of ‘stellar quality’ and provided him with ‘the best meal of the year to date’. However, by August 2003 club the Alpine Star replaced Bergerac; the Sunday Mail reported that the nightclub had 1970s wood panellings and a mirror ball.
By April 2005, the Botanic Cafe had switched to chef Adam Palmer, and adapted a new menu that included duck ‘served with a garnish of broccolini on a soft bed of polenta and green lentils’, orechiette pasta with green olive ragout, and tira-misu. The Advertiser‘s stand-in food writer Deborah Bogle summarized the establishment as a ‘stylish cafe with a bustling, see-and-be-seen vibe at weekends, attractive setting and pleasant outlook. The kitchen sources good-quality local produce for dishes that are of a reliable standard, some better than others’.
The Advertiser‘s 1 November 2007 issue suggested readers watch the Melbourne Cup at the Botanic Hotel, where guests could have ‘a day of champagne and canapes, a two-course lunch with beer, wine, and soft drinks included. Big-screen viewing of the racing and fashion by Littly Potty Red Shoes and Ipanema’. Tickets cost $120 a person.
The 11 November 2008 edition of The Advertiser reported that actor Clive Owen was at the Botanic Hotel that Saturday night, ‘keeping to himself’ and ‘not mixing with the crowd’.
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