An important cornerstone of community life, Caloundra’s earliest hotels welcomed residents, travellers and servicemen, becoming part of the town’s social life as the seaside settlement grew.
Caloundra’s earliest attempt at a hotel was Alder’s Hotel, built by Anthony Alder on Victoria Terrace at Shelly Beach in 1885 and opened three years later. The venture was unsuccessful and the building eventually fell into disrepair, but parts of its timber were reportedly given a second life in another local landmark.
In 1906, David Rooke built Hotel Francis near the corner of Albert Street and Stewart Way, naming it after his son. The hotel became an important meeting place during the Second World War, when Australian and American servicemen training in Caloundra gathered there during their leave.
Former servicemen recalled drinking Bulimba beer with a dash of salt added to create a frothy head. One story tells of soldiers rolling a keg from Hotel Francis to the top of Bulcock Street, then sending it down the middle of the road to the iceworks in Maloja Avenue, where it could be kept cold until their next leave.
For more than 50 years, Hotel Francis was Caloundra’s only licensed hotel, leaving Bulcock Street without a pub of its own. It closed in January 1957, reportedly drawing thousands to a gala farewell, and its licence was transferred to the new Caloundra Hotel at the western end of Bulcock Street.
That hotel became CBX in 2013 before returning to the Caloundra Hotel name in 2017. Hotel Francis remained standing until its demolition in 2012.
A new chapter began on 1 August 1957 when the Hotel Perle opened overlooking Kings Beach. Rebuilt in 1991, it is known today as Kings Beach Tavern.
Alders Hotel, Anthony Alder, Hotel Francis, Caloundra Hotel, Perle Hotel circa 1960.
