The need for wayside inns in the 1870s, as selectors trekked out in search of their future farms, meant that even small communities had their own hotel.
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The Gem Hotel, Kalkee East
George Wall selected a farm 23 kilometres north-east of Horsham in the early 1870s.
Tucked away in the south-east corner was a small block of just under an acre (Allotment 233A).
In 1875 he and his brother William built a hotel on the block, located on the north-east corner of Shearwoods Road and the Henty Highway. William Wall became the first licensee of the "Gem Hotel" on December 16, 1875.
It is probable that while the brothers farmed the surrounding land, William's wife, Mary Jane (née Clarke) ran the hotel.
The following year George Wall married Catherine 'Kate' McCooke.
George purchased the freehold of the hotel in May 1877 and the farmland (Allotment 233) in April 1878.
George Wall had the publican's licence of the Gem Hotel transferred to himself in June 1879, probably because his brother moved to Nhill in that year.
It is likely that Kate ran the hotel while George worked on the farm.
In June 1876 the Dooen Hotel, 13 kilometres to the south on the Henty Highway, opened for business.
No doubt the viability of the Gem Hotel suffered as a result.
The Junction Hotel was again totally destroyed by fire. Rogers' wife barely escaped, 'her hair being singed off her head'.
In late 1883 George decided to move to Wail, located 12 kilometres to the west.
He sold his Kalkee East land to his neighbour, William Mackley.
The original site of the Gem Hotel has been planted with crops for many years.
Despite this, scattered old glass and pottery fragments were still found on a recent visit.
Junction Hotel, Wail
George Wall's move to Wail was onto a one-acre block, locally known as "Humbug Corner" (Allotment 26D) at the northern edge of Wail township.
George's December 15, 1883 application to the Licensing Court, asking to transfer his publican's licence to Wail, stated that there was already a house on the site.
George also purchased the adjacent farmland (Allotment 26).
After the arrival of the Railway in 1882, Wail had become a village gaining a general store, a post office and, now, a hotel.
Wail provided access to the railway for the district's wheat growers, although that access was not always easy, the roads being little better than cart tracks.
The hotel became a popular 'watering hole' for the bullock drivers.
The hotel was apparently doing good business but a serious fire destroyed it on Friday, March 12, 1886.
Unfortunately, it was not insured.
However, the local community pulled together and made a collection to "enable Mr Wall to erect another building".
It appears the hotel was rebuilt by October 1886.
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In 1891 George Wall seems to have run into financial trouble as his hotel and farmland were sold at a Sheriff's sale.
It should be noted that George was not alone in this regard as this was the time of the Victorian land and bank crash.
Hugh Montgomery Wilson, who was the licensee of the hotel, purchased it at the auction.
Wilson was from Nurrabiel where he grew fruit trees.
His orchard was damaged by blight and consequently he may have also run into financial difficulties because shortly afterwards, in 1892, he sold the hotel to William Pulford, who leased it to J O Stabernack.
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In 1895 the hotel ended up in the hands of the Metropolitan Permanent Building Society.
The Building Society leased the hotel to Augustus Collins of Pimpinio. Collins and his wife Alberta successfully ran the hotel for five years, from 1895 to 1900.
In July 1900 the Building Society put the hotel up for sale, installing a Melbourne man, Daniel Meenan, as licensee.
Meenan left abruptly in April 1901 and the hotel was purchased by local farmer and draught horse breeder, Nehemiah Rogers, in May 1901.
On December 12, 1902 another disaster struck. The Junction Hotel was again totally destroyed by fire. Rogers' wife barely escaped, "her hair being singed off her head".
Although Rogers was insured against fire, the insured value was only 500 pounds whereas the damage was estimated to be 800 pounds.
Rogers was granted a temporary six-month licence to allow him to operate from nearby premises while the hotel was rebuilt.
It appears that never happened as no further licences were issued and the hotel business at Wail ceased around mid-1903.
The original hotel land was acquired by the Country Roads Board in 1966 in preparation for the construction of the Wail railway overpass.
Fortunately for history, the hotel site was on the extreme eastern edge of the construction zone and remained largely undisturbed. Some old glass and pottery fragments remain.
