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charleville: general info
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Name: Hotel Corones
Address:
City: Charleville, Outback Queensland Australia
Phone: 61 7 4654 1022
What's it like?
Hotel Corones was a popular destination and it's still a highlight for today's visitors. Charalambos Coroneos came to Charleville in 1909, having arrived in Australia two years earlier as a poor Greek immigrant. He soon changed his name to Harry Corones. Harry leased and ran a hotel for a while before buying the rundown Hotel Norman in 1924. This he demolished to create Hotel Corones, which became an oasis in the desert of the southwest. He spent 50,000 pounds and took five years, purchasing tiles from Italy and having the plaster ceilings hand-crafted.
Harry built a large public bar with leadlight windows and reputedly the largest bar top in the southern hemisphere, an enormous ballroom and a ladies' drawing room. There were even double rooms with private facilities, unheard of in country pubs in those days.
Hotel Corones quickly became the social hub of the area and was known as the "Hilton" or the "Raffles of the West". It was treated as the second officers' mess by US soldiers stationed here during World War II.
Harry was fascinated by flying and visitors included English aviatrix Amy Johnson and other aviators. Other famous visitors over the years have included rock and roll singer Johnny O'Keefe, actor Bryan Brown, former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and English singer Gracie Fields. With the original colonial furniture still in place, Hotel Corones is as elegant and opulent as it was in times past. Karl Aschhoff will give you a fascinating two-hour tour, complete with sensational stories and scrumptious scones.
If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
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