Historical information

The Terminus Hotel, Wodonga was built by James Thompson Hatch in 1873, the same year the railway reached Wodonga from Melbourne. It was named due to its close proximity to the railway terminus. It was sold to Messrs George Day and Kenneth McLennan of Albury. It was first licenced to J.G. Morton in January 1874.
Annie Allen, from Ireland, took over as licensee of the hotel containing 14 rooms in 1879, after she and her husband, George James Allen, purchased it. In 1887 they added a new wing on the south boundary of the property next to Peter McLean’s store at 81 Sydney Road. The architects for the new wing were Gordon and Gordon. A billiard room, a dining room, and 18 other rooms were added on the vacant block of land between the Hotel and the Bank of Victoria. A balcony 6 feet wide was added on the north side. Included in the plans was the latest patent elevator, later known as a dumb waiter.
Allen died in 1889 aged 52, and Annie Allen continued to run the Terminus. She later married John G. Haldon and was licensee of the hotel until December 1898 when the licence was transferred to William Carkeek. Carkeek, from Cornwall, arrived in the colony around 1860 and is considered one of the founders of Tallangatta. In November 1903, the license was transferred to Daniel Crawford, then in 1906 it was transferred to Mr Stephen Carkeek.
In 1916 it passed into the hands of Mr H. W. Allen of Rutherglen, son of Mr George James Allen.

Between 1916 and 1933 there were a variety of licensees. In October 1933, the stables and garage at the rear of the Terminus Hotel were totally destroyed by fire.
In 1935, the Terminus again underwent a series of improvements and extensions at the cost of £3,000. The front of the premises was extended in the fashionable Spanish mission style. The balcony of brick and concrete was extended to be 18 feet wide, wire gauged and fitted with glass slides and a tile roof. In addition to 15 new bedrooms, four more bathrooms, making seven in all, were available for patrons. These were on the second floor, while beneath them provision was made for four shops and a new kitchen and a laundry.
Throughout the 1930s and 1990s the licensee and owners changed several times.

On 1st June 1998 the Terminus Hotel was destroyed by fire. Estimates of damage range from between a conservative $750,000 to as high as $2 million. The remains of the building were demolished in 1999.

Significance

The Terminus Hotel was one of the earliest hotels in Wodonga with clear links to the establishment of the railway line. It was an important business and meeting place for social gatherings.

Physical description

Oldest available photo of the Terminus Hotel beside Peter McLean's Wholesale and Family Drapers General Store. These buildings were on the west side of Sydney Road, later renamed to High Street.