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The Stuart Arms Hotel was the first hotel in Alice Springs,
Benstead left town in 1892 and leased the Stuart Arms to Thomas Gunter, initially on a five-year lease, but Gunter stayed until 1900.
Charles Rutherford South then took over the pub for seven years. During this time Benstead, who still owned the establishment
Photo collection
at the State Library of South Australia Buildings and structures in Alice Springs Pubs in the Northern Territory Demolished buildings and structures in Australia Buildings and structures demolished in 1986 1888 establishments in Australia
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
(which was originally called Stuart). Located on the corner of Parsons and Todd Street, it was centre of social life for 96 years.
History
The Stuart Arms Hotel was established by pioneer pastoralist William Benstead, who received his publican's license in 1888. It was initially intended to be named the "Great Northern Hotel"; when the date and nature of the name change is not known. Benstead purchased lot 78 and 79 of the just gazetted town of Stuart on 9 April 1889. The hotel was erected on lot 78, "a modest structure of stone and iron, about the size of an average house".
Benstead left town in 1892 and leased the Stuart Arms to Thomas Gunter, initially on a five-year lease, but Gunter stayed until 1900.
Charles Rutherford South then took over the pub for seven years. During this time Benstead, who still owned the establishment foreclosed
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.
Formally, a mortg ...
in 1902, and it was sold to William Garnet South in 1903.
In 1914 "The Bungalow
The Bungalow was an institution for Aboriginal children established in 1914 in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of Australia. It existed at several locations in Alice Springs (then called Stuart), Jay Creek and the Alice Springs Tele ...
" was built at the rear of the hotel, sharing the lot, where Topsy Smith and Mariah McDonald, cared for "halfe-caste" children in a galvanised iron shed that Robert Stott
Robert Stott (13 July 1858 – 21 April 1928) was a constable and later police commissioner in the Northern Territory of Australia.
Early life
Robert Stott was born in the blacksmith's croft at Nigg in Kincardineshire, Scotland, the son ...
had built; 16 children were living there by November 1914. Living conditions at "The Bungalow" were less than ideal and food could be limited so the children would often look for scraps at the hotel. They remained in the hotel's "backyard" until 1928, when they were moved out to Jay Creek.
Mona Minahan, Alice Springs' first barmaid, began work at the Stuart Arms in 1931.
The pub was destroyed by fire in 1960, and later replaced by a two-storey building, also known as the Stuart Arms. This building was demolished over the weekend of 11–12 January 1986, so that a shopping centre, Alice Plaza, could be built on the site. A new pub of the same name was established in the shopping centre.
References
{{reflistExternal links
Photo collection
at the State Library of South Australia Buildings and structures in Alice Springs Pubs in the Northern Territory Demolished buildings and structures in Australia Buildings and structures demolished in 1986 1888 establishments in Australia