ABOUT
The Tower Hotel Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie's old Tower Hotel is mentioned in the Post Office guide of 1900. The proprietor at the time was William Fleming. The old hotel rendered sterling service to the Goldfield's community for more than seventy years before it was demolished and a new hotel was erected in its place.
The new Tower Hotel opened for business on Monday 23rd March 1976. It was the first new hotel on the famous Golden Mile for many years and the latest addition to the far flung chain of Swan Hotels.
Built to a basic single storey ranch type design, a new clock tower was erected in place of the original clock tower that had adorned the building at the corner of Maritana and Bourke Streets.
The theme of the hotel reflected the early days of the gold rush pioneers. The main dining room was the Regency Room whilst the Colony Room was primarily a function room. At the time the Tower Hotel had three bars; the front bar, which faced Bourke Street, the L-shaped Saloon bar, also known as the Tower Tavern and the cocktail bar, aptly named the Miners' Lamp, as real miners' lamps were used for lighting.
The new accommodation at the Tower Hotel Kalgoorlie was built on a separate wing of the premises. It was raised from ground level to allow guests to park cars beneath their suites. The accommodation comprises of single, double and twin bedded suites and like the bars, dining room and function room, all guest units have air-conditioning. The rooms are fully self contained, with private bathroom/toilet, television and tea/coffee making facilities.
A Colourful History
Few places in Australia boast such a colourful history as Kalgoorlie. Over a hundred year period, it has developed into one of the world's best known gold mining centres. In 1893 Patrick Hannan, an Irish immigrant prospector, along with fellow prospectors Tom Flanagan and Dan Shea first found gold in the area. From that discovery grew a small settlement, which in 1895 was declared the Municipality of Kalgoorlie.
Paddy Hannan's name was later given to the town's main thoroughfare, Hannan Street, in which stands a bronze memorial to this pioneer, erected by public subscription in 1929.
