Around Town

Campbell Hospital

Opened in 1905, the Campbell Hospital was the heart of the Coraki community for more than 100 years. It was named after the major benefactor, local resident John Campbell, whose estate stipulated that the building be constructed of bricks (made at a quarry behind the hospital site) and roofed with slate. Fund raising and bequests continued for the hospital by the community it served.

Campbell Hospital

For over a century the Campbell provided general medical and surgical services for the Mid Richmond community. The hospital site expanded to include a CEO residence and Nurses Quarters and later the Coraki Conference Centre which offered catering, accommodation and facilities for professional health education and private events.

The main hospital was renovated in order to incorporate many specialist and consultation services including pharmaceutical, dental, radiology, operating theatre, maternity, palliative care, rehabilitation, mental health and community health. The variety of professional and ancillary services offered at the hospital provided significant employment opportunities. Following storm damage in 2011, the hospital was evacuated. All local efforts to have the buildings repaired and/or repurposed failed, and demolition commenced in 2019.

Herald Printery

Richmond River Herald
Richmond River Herald

Coraki’s newspaper, the Richmond River Herald, was founded by Louis F. Benaud in 1886 and was nick named “The Pink Un” after the colour of the paper on which it was printed.

The Herald occupied the front of the new Oddfellows Hall in Bridge Street until 1905 when it moved to Richmond Terrace. Conveniently situated beside the Post Office it had a commanding view of the activities on the river and at the Government Wharf.

The building was extended to accommodate a stationary, gift, bookstore, Palings gramophone and piano agency, and record store named The Misses Benaud and managed by his daughters.

The wooden building narrowly survived the 1919 fire with flames scorching the outside wall. The newspaper operated successfully through to 1942 when it ceased publication. The building was demolished in the 1950s.

The Big Store

Sheridan and Huston store
Sheridan and Huston store

Built in the 1890s this impressive building was used as a general store; first as the Coraki branch of The New Firm until 1900 when Mathew McCann took over and renamed it The Boss Store.

When Mathew McCann bought the store, he inherited the Ethel which was used to deliver goods to households along the river and collect fresh produce from the farmers to sell in the shop.

It was later known as The Big Store and sold to John Sheridan and Frank Huston in 1905. By 1909 when Huston left the partnership due to ill-health, it was trading as The Premier Store.

This grand two storey building was an elegant structure with French doors opening onto a verandah over the footpath and a large skylight in the roof. A winding staircase led downstairs to the shopfront with ornamental show windows surrounded by small panes of cathedral glass. There was a bulk store at the rear and equipment to haul stock to the upper storey.

The building survived two close calls with fire which razed the surrounding buildings in 1897 and 1905 but finally succumbed in 1911 when a huge blaze took out the entire block.

Claffy’s Terrace

Situated on the original site of the Roman Catholic church and convent, this land had been vacant since fire had razed both buildings in 1904. Mr & Mrs James Claffy had lost their blacksmith business, first in the 1905 fire and again in the 1911 fire. Along with Sheridan and other shopkeepers, they purchased the land and erected a row of fine stores.

Claffy’s impressive two-storey building included a billiard hall and reading room with the ground floor shops being occupied by a jeweller, a dentist and an optician. Claffy’s became a hub for many small businesses including Stokes and Priddice Tailors and the Boot Palace. The upstairs rooms benefitted the townsfolk and community, becoming the central gathering place for political and social meetings. 

Both Sheridan and Claffy’s enjoyed 7 brisk years of trading and growth until disaster struck again. On 3 February 1919 another fire, originating in Claffy’s, ripped through the shops and by morning the block was once again a pile of rubble.

1919 fire on Richmond Terrace
1919 fire on Richmond Terrace

Sheridan’s Store

Sheridan and Claffey Terrace
Sheridan and Claffy Terrace

After losing The Big Store in the January 1911 fire, John Sheridan purchased a block south of the post office. By mid-July the new Premier Store, built of brick, was open for business in its new location opposite the rotunda.

The front façade was 40ft and stretched back 120ft into the block and contained dozens of clothing, household and furniture departments. Sheridan’s office was in the mezzanine and money was sent up to the cashiers by means of a Lamson cash tramway which connected all the trading counters in the store. Sheridan had his own wharf in front of the site and goods were easily transported the short distance to his storerooms.

Despite the new building being made of brick, in 1919 it was completely destroyed by a fire originating next door in Claffy’s Terrace.

The third Sheridan Premier store was again built with bricks and still stands today.

Coraki Post Office

Telegraphic communication was integral to life on the river. All shipping movements, all trade supplies and all colony news came through the Telegraphic Office. The telegraph system had 35 battery cells to be maintained. This building, constructed in 1891, housed the Post Office, Telegraph Office, and Postmaster’s residence. Mail was sent to Casino and then on to Brisbane by horseback. Sydney mail was sent by steamer. In 1900 a telephone exchange was installed with 21 subscribers connected to exchanges at Casino, Lismore, and Ballina.

Several extensions and additions were made to the building over the years but most of the original façade has been maintained.

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post office post office

Commercial Bank

Commercial Bank
Commercial Bank

Built in 1901, the Commercial Bank of Sydney housed the banking chamber and manager’s residence. The building has a Federation architecture with hipped roof, deep front verandah, and gable with decorative slats over the entrance to the residence. The roof is covered with red Marseilles tiles and the exterior walls are of clinker brick. The French doors have long shutters on each side and the verandah has turned wood posts. Inside are pressed metal ceilings, marble fireplaces, and fanlights over the doors. Due to staff shortages during WWII the branch was closed and the house was used as a doctor’s surgery until it was sold in 2007. It briefly operated as a restaurant called Déjà Vu until it reverted to a private residence.

London Bank

London Bank
London Bank

Another victim of the 1911 fire, the wooden version of the London Bank was replaced with a solid brick structure with imposing concrete columns and portico. Designed by Casino architects Popplewell and Sykes and built by local contractor George Forrest, the interior featured a luxurious banking chamber with cedar counters and inlaid glass panels, utilising Acetylene gas for lighting.
The manager’s room led onto the purpose-built fire-proof strongroom with 14in brick walls containing a Chubb safe. The manager’s residence and storeroom were at the rear of the block.
In 1921 it became the E.S & A. bank [English Scottish and Australian Bank], then the ANZ Bank in 1970 and continued to serve the banking needs of the district until 1989 when it became a private residence.

Council Chambers

Designed by Popplewell and Sykes of Casino, the building is constructed of bricks from the Coombell Brickworks near Casino. Consisting of four rooms with a large walk-in strong-room in the centre, it served as the Woodburn Shire Council offices from 1912 until 1976. When the Shire of Woodburn amalgamated with part of Tomki Shire to form Richmond River Shire, the council chambers moved to Casino.
A volunteer-run library was established in the mid 1970s occupying one room with donated books and magazines. After many successful years serving the community, a professional librarian was employed by the council.

The rest of the building was assigned to the Mid-Richmond Historical Society in 1983 to store the many artifacts being collected from the district. The Historical Society members began preserving and cataloguing the remarkable collection.

Coraki Museum contains an extensive collection of local artefacts, memorabilia, family histories and photographs from the earliest white settlement. There is a comprehensive maritime history section along with and outdoor shed containing farming and ship building equipment. The War Memorial room contains the Honour Boards from many of the village halls around the district including the exquisite WWI Bungawalbyn board, hand carved with a pocketknife by the mother of one of the soldiers. Entry is $3 per adult or $5 family.

Churches

St Joseph’s Catholic Church on Adams St. The foundation stone was laid by Bishop Carroll on 22nd May, 1922. The building was opened in Feb. 1923  with a congregation of 800 people.

St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church on Queen Elizabeth Drive was built in 1912. It was deconsecrated in 2017 and is now operating as Sacred Earth Holistic Funerals

Coraki Ferry

Coraki Hotel aka the Bottom pub

The historic Coraki Hotel, or the “Bottom Pub” as it is more commonly known, is a fantastic, family-owned pub located in Coraki on the banks of the Richmond River. From 1867 Kyran and Thomas Nolan had several different stores and hotels on this block prior to the grand two-storey structure built by Brown and Jolly in 1892. It had 23 rooms, a prominent corner gable with tall finial and fancy wrought iron balustrading. A large wharf and slipway were built directly in front, allowing the hotel to capture much of the passing steamer trade.

Extensive renovations were carried out in 1902 including the installation of Acetylene gas lighting. A brick room was added for liquor storage and the wooden hotel was lucky to escape the raging 1919 fire. This hotel, and its many publicans, has witnessed more than 100 years of Coraki calamity and prosperity.

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coraki hotel coraki hotel

Club Hotel aka the Middle pub

coraki club hotel
Quain’s Club Hotel c.1886

Built in 1885 The Club House Hotel was operated by the Quain’s until it was lost to fire in November 1897. It was the second pub to go up in flames that year as the Palace Hotel was consumed in February.
The hotel was rebuilt in 1898 and renamed The Club Hotel. Complete with mock Tudor corner gable and wrought iron lacework, it had 12 bedrooms and two parlours upstairs, accessed by a magnificent cedar staircase. The ground floor had three bars, a public dining room, a commercial function room and two street-front shops.

The next 100+ years saw many different publicans and renovations but it has largely retained its magnificent original design. It was closed in 2005 and the liquor licence relinquished but after a major revamp, the Club Hotel will enjoy a new lease of life in 2021 with spirited new owners. The historic Club Hotel, aka the “Middle Pub” sits quietly on the corner of Allwood St overlooking the park and the river.

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club hotel club hotel

Commercial Hotel aka the Top pub

The first Commercial Hotel was a single storey building built by John Turner in 1879 for Mr James Grady. His youngest daughter Annie and her new husband Walter Mobbs took over the lease in 1883. Walter tragically passed away just five years later aged 27 and Annie continued trading through the turn of the century.

In 1903 she commissioned a palatial new two-storey hotel to be built on the block next door. The ground floor had a bar, sitting room, office, and two parlours. The bar had a counter with massive Corinthian cornices and columns and an entrance with an ornamental arch and highly polished swinging doors. The commodious cellar was below the bar and accessible from both the bar and the street. A cedar staircase led to the bedrooms on the upper story. The windows and doors were glazed with tinted glass.

During 1905, she demolished and rebuilt the original single-storey structure next door and turned it into two-storey accommodation for guests and staff with an extensive kitchen wing and large public dining room with an enormous 14,500 gallon underground water tank.

It was all completely destroyed by the disastrous 1911 fire which consumed most of the block.

The third Commercial Hotel was opened in 1912 – the design and layout being almost identical to the second with the exception of the square parapets on the roofline. It traded successfully under several different publicans until it was closed by owner Tooth and Co. in 1963. The following year, for a second time, it was consumed by fire.

Coraki Race Course

William Yabsley Junior was a very keen on horse racing and gave quite a large part of his land to establishing a Jockey Club and race course.

New Year’s Day was traditionally race day in Coraki and people came from near and far. The course was regarded as one of the best in the country. “Every convenience is made for both horse owner’s and the general public. Situated as Coraki is in the very centre of this vast district, it acts as a huge octopus, drawing with its immense feelers the residents from far and near. The meeting just concluded has far eclipsed any preceding one. Fully 1,500 people were present, this being the largest gathering ever assembled on the Coraki racecourse and indeed we think we might safely say on any course in the district.” TROVE


River Towns