Fyans' Ford Hotel

… and still Fyansford's pub

Fyansford Hotel

The Fyansford Hotel was erected in 1854-55 on the eastern side of the Moorabool River within walking distance of the newly built timber bridge.

This solid, two-storey, brick hotel catered for a continually increasing number of travelers and for an expanding local community.

Jo Mitchell in her blog Grabbing a bite observes,

"On the whole, the building has not changed significantly across the years. The original roof cladding was replaced with corrugated iron, the corner entrance was also somewhat altered and the brickwork painted, but otherwise the facade of the building remains similar to its original form. Some additions were made at the back of the property in later years and the interior also had adjustments, but the Fyansford Pub would still be quite recognizable to the many generations of patrons who have passed through its doors over the course of more than a century and a half”.

Currently, the Fyansford Hotel is the only remaining pub in Fyansford.

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1950 Ca Licensee Jack Laherty

1955 Ca

2016 John Flatt

1950 Ca Licensee Jack Laherty

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I am forever in debt to Jo Mitchell for her Barwon Blog which documents the development of Fyansford. Regarding the hotel she has the following to say:

“…. a short distance above its (Moorabool River) confluence with the Barwon - we find the hotel … Today, the Fyansford offers a fairly sophisticated menu for both lunch and dinner, including the option to partake in the consumption of our national emblem, prepared in a variety of appetizing styles.

The building itself, if not the menu, has a significantly longer association with the river(s) than the other waterside eateries, but in typical 19th century fashion, also lacks river views from within. Not surprisingly, the history of the hotel parallels that of the township, making it one of the earliest watering holes in the district.

In the early days of expansion and settlement in the Western District, the naturally occurring ford at this site made it one of the most important points in the region, allowing traffic to access the ports in both Geelong and Melbourne. The influx of both money and population which accompanied the gold rush in the early 1850s and no doubt the rise of the wool trade following on from this era, made the little town of Fyansford a vital link in the movement of both goods and people around the developing colony.

The first to recognize this importance was Captain Foster Fyans who established a police camp at the ford in 1837 and not surprisingly, the ford and the town which developed there came to bear his name. Nor was the town merely a way point on the journey to other places. ….. At the same time that the increase in traffic required the building of the bridge, it became apparent that there was a need for a public house both for those passing through and for the local community.

As a result, in 1854 the publican C.B. Dawson called for tenders for the building of an hotel and by 1855, the new structure was erected only a stone's throw away from the site of the new bridge. The building which took shape and still stands today, is a two storey, brick structure which, I am informed, is a transitional Colonial Georgian style with "distinctive symmetrical fenestration and angled corner entrance" which was typical of many public houses built during this era.

On the whole, the building has not changed significantly across the years. The original roof cladding was replaced with corrugated iron, the corner entrance was also somewhat altered and the brickwork painted, but otherwise the facade of the building remains similar to its original form. Some additions were made at the back of the property in later years and the interior also had adjustments, but the Fyansford Pub would still be quite recognizable to the many generations of patrons who have passed through its doors over the course of more than a century and a half.

…”.

Source: Barwon Blog (3)