Historical information

The damaged building in the photograph is the former Diggers Rest Hotel which was built in on that site in 1854 It was a popular place during the 1970s Sunbury Pop Festivals as it was the closest hotel to the Pop Festival site. It was partly destroyed by a suspicious fire on 30th October 2008, which left the walls and chimney intact but the roof caved in. Since then there have been moves by the local community to either rebuild and reopen the venue or to demolish it.

Significance

The Diggers Rest has been one of the few early surviving hotels that were built along the former Mount Alexander Road, now Calder Highway, during the 1850s gold rush years.

Physical description

This a non-digital coloured photograph of a double storey hotel building, which has been damaged by fire. The exterior walls are intact but the roof has collapsed.The building is beside a main road.