The original Rollingstone Hotel burnt down in 1959, with a temporary structure built until the current one on the highway was constructed and opened for business in 1962. Before that, the first hotel in the area was built by the Tealby brothers, and by 1906 Vivian and Hubert Tealby were issued with a licence to operate the hotel. The hotel was a stop on the coach route between Townsville and Ingham,” the association’s website says. At the time it was known as the Armidale Hotel, but after concerns it would get confused with the New South Wale’s town of the same name, the area was renamed Rollingstone and the hotel was also renamed. In 1914, the hotel was purchased by John and Isabella Fitzpatrick (nee Wyatt), who was the daughter of Charles Wyatt, the licensee of the Court House Hotel, later renamed the Herbert Hotel. According to the Heritage Trails of Townsville tourist guide, Wyatt was one of Townsville’s longest serving publicans. SKILL LEVEL: Medium
