Mundaring Weir Hotel

we travelled into the hills and stayed here for lunch, below is a piece of history about the Hotel..
My extra is Mundaring Dam ...


 Mundaring Weir is located in the Darling Scarp European populations did not grow significantly in Western Australia until construction of the dam in the late 1890s. It was only after the completion of the weir that the location became popular with picnickers and sightseers, as the project caught the imagination of the public in Perth.  The Irish Australian engineer Charles Yelverton O'Connor was involved the design of a pipeline that transported water to Kalgoorlie the most  controversial project ever undertaken in its time. 

The hotel is built on the first piece of freehold land, five minutes walk from the Weir.  The Hotel was built to accommodate the rush of visitors viewing the construction of the Weir, and for the men working on the Weir. Sly grog had been discovered on the site and the three-man police force stationed at the Weir were keen to get alcohol sales under control.

In 1898, the Jacoby brothers built a single storey building called the Reservoir Hotel. The building was situated adjacent to the railway line on the first piece of freehold land next to the weir easement.  In 1906, Fred Jacoby constructed a two-storey building as part of the Hotel and renamed it the Goldfields Weir Hotel. Some of the building materials for the construction of the hotel were brought out to Australia from England by sailing ship. A bricklayer doing repairs to the foundation of the fireplace, which is now the Coffee Shop, found bricks bearing the name of his home town in the north of England.

A railway was initially constructed from Mundaring to the Weir for goods transport only, so the Licensee would pick visitors up from Mundaring station by horse and buggy. 

Later there were two weekly trains from Perth. The last stop before Weir, opposite the hall, was called Karda Mordo. The beer kegs for the Hotel would be unloaded here and rolled down the hill to the hotel. The invoices from the Swan Brewery are still addressed to Mundaring Weir Hotel, Karda Mordo. The railway line was closed in 1952.

An accommodation wing with 12 rooms was situated in what is now the beer garden, and overnight stays were very popluar. The Hotel was advertised as “the sanatorium of the West” Karda Mordo “Amongst The Mountains”.

During the Second World War The Weir was considered an enemy target and guards were posted. The roof of the Hotel was painted dark and part of the cellar was made into a bomb shelter with access from the ballroom above. The shelter is now the kitchen for the down stairs Café.

The Hotel has had a colorful history over the last 100 years. Many publicans have managed the place with varying success. It is worth noting that the present publican has been in charge of the Hotel longer than any other in its history.

The current owner/operator, Jens Jorgensen, bought the Hotel in 1984 when it was on the verge of closing down. The property was run down, the grounds were littered with old car bodies and horses were grazing at the back of the Hotel. In the pursuing years the Hotel has been transformed into a wonderful destination for people wanting to get out into the forest without having to travel too far. 
 (wikipedia)