Historical information

This poster advertises the Ozone Hotel in Warrnambool. The poster can be dated to 1896 or thereabouts as it quotes the testimonials of the Governor of Victoria, Lord Brassey and Lady Brassey who stayed at the hotel twice in 1896. The Ozone Hotel, at the corner of Koroit and Kepler Streets, Warrnambool, was opened in 1890 as the Grand Ozone Coffee Palace, a temperance hotel. In 1891 it was granted a colonial wine licence and in 1895 it became known as the Ozone Hotel (a private hotel with superior accommodation). From 1894 to 1907 Thomas Randall was the proprietor. In 1923 the hotel, by then known as Hotel Mansions, became a fully licensed hotel. The building was burnt down in 1929.

Significance

Although very tattered, this is a significant item. It is an original poster of the Ozone Hotel. The building (Grand Ozone Coffee Palace/Ozone Hotel/Hotel Mansions) was very important in Warrnambool’s history. It was the grandest building ever erected in Warrnambool and a memento of the days when temperance hotels were prevalent in Victoria and tourism was beginning to be important in Warrnambool.

Physical description

This is an advertising poster made of buff-coloured, heavyweight cardboard. It has a sepia-coloured photograph of the Ozone Hotel at the top and black printed material on the bottom half. The poster is completely torn in two with two edge sections also detached. Parts of the top left and bottom left corner are missing. There is evidence of adhesive tape having been used for mending purposes in the past and the whole poster is a little grubby. The paper is now very brittle.

Inscriptions & markings

‘The “Ozone” Warrnambool’
‘This commodious and well-managed hotel containing nearly a hundred rooms, is replete with every comfort for the accommodation of visitors at a moderate tariff …..’