In 1884 Frank Ball erected a house and general store beside the Gellibrand River at Gellibrand. These buildings were burnt in the 1886 bushfires so Ball rebuilt a large weatherboard building with accomodation rooms for guests. In the same year he also acquired a Roadside Victuallers Licence. From the purchase of the hotel by Mark Marks in 1895 the hotel passed through the publicans' hands of Joe Marks (who replaced the original hotel with a grand masonry structure), Henry Wills, Ellen Pathe, another Marks licensee, Charles Sharp (adding a new accomodation wing and tennis court), Ray Stewart, Arthur McKenzie, Jim Fry from Beech Forest, and Colin and Noeline Sinclair. There have been several owners and licensees since then, the last co-owners being Dylan Kane and Michael Elton with the licensee being Annie Notley. While not strictly hotel business there are also pieces about the Gellibrand School, timber processing, sports and churches.History of the Gellibrand Hotel: a work in progress. Annie Notley. 1st ed. Annie Notley; Gellibrand (Vic); 2014. 120p.; illus, maps. Hard cover.gellibrand; gellibrand hotel; wonga hotel; schools; football;