49-51 Montagu Street

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The Bush Inn

The Bush Inn is one of Australia's oldest continuously licenced hotels in it's original building. The original part of the building was constructed in 1815 and the first licence was granted to Ann Bridger in 1825.

The earliest image we have of the Bush Inn is this colour lithograph "Vue d'Elisabeth-Town" by Louis Auguste de Sainson dated 1833. There is some debate as to whether this is truly the Bush Inn because of the angle of the river in relation to the Inn. However de Sainson, while a highly skilled draftsman for the French Astrolabe expedition, was primarily a "painter to the voyage" rather than a surveyor. The painting would have been intended for a European audience, to make the new colony look like an established picturesque estate.

This black and white sketch dated 1834, and almost certainly by colonial artist Thomas Bock, is considered more "architectually honest" than the de Sainson lithograph. Because Bock lived in Tasmania, he wouldn't have felt the need to romanticize the landscape for a French atlas audience as de Sainson did.

We believe the two carriages plus the clothing in this photo date it to around 1865 to 1872. By this time, the building had been extensively extended so that the original building is barely recognisable. The deep ruts in the dirt road indicate that Montagu St was still unsealed at this time. Note that the sign on the window above the door in this photo is white on a dark background. Although other sources date this photo to 1900, I believe they are probably perpetuating one incorrect guess/attribution - happy to listen to any theories if you think I am wrong.

This photo of the Bush Hotel was taken by Alfred Winter in 1881 with signage showing Octavious Blockey as Licensee. The sign on the window above the door is now black on a light background. The road has been improved through grading and the addition of gravel or broken stone, reducing deep ruts and creating a more reliable surface for horse-drawn traffic, though it was not yet fully macadamised. (Photo courtesy of UTAS SPARC collection)

Bush Hotel circa 1890?

We think this photo was taken around 1896-98

The Bush Hotel in approximately 1910 after renovations - the roof line has changed and the windows have been replaced.

The Auto-Car Club's run to New Norfolk in 1913 - the Bush Hotel is on the right and Peppermint Hill can be seen in the distance on the left.

The Bush Hotel in August 1950 from an Ash Bester postcard

The Bush Hotel sometime in the early 1960s - the cars date it to between 1962 and 1965

The Bush Hotel sometime in the 1960s - the cars date it to after 1962, possibly 1965

The cars in this photo of the Bush Hotel date it to between 1968 to the early 1970s

The Bush Inn in 2011

Bush Inn Licensees

• a lot of checking for sources to do here
  • Ann Bridger (Bush Tavern) 1825 to 1829 +
  • Charles Barker 1832
  • John Dean 1838 to 1840 (1837-1839?)
  • William Elwin (?) 1841 - 1843
  • E Mason (?) until 1950
  • A Oakley 1850-1852?
  • Henry Bridger (?) 1852-1853
  • William James Hagen (?) 1853-1855 (Hobart Town Gazette)
  • Joshua Anson 1855 - 1857 (?)
  • Frederick Le Geyt Piguenit 1857-1858 (?)
  • Joseph Oakley 1858-1871 (?)
  • Alex Smith (?) until 1873
  • Samuel Smith (?) 1873/4 - 1877
  • Octavius Blockey 1877 to 1892
  • Captain H Smith (?)
  • William Cowburn -1899 to 1901
  • G Hope 1901
  • John McDonald Singer (1905?) 1911 to 1920
  • William Cowburn 1920 to 1927
  • Leslie Nicholson Cowburn 1930 to 1950
  • Sold 1851 after being owned by 3 generations of Cowburns
  • John Joseph Reidy 1952 to 1954 (1951 - 1967?)
  • L. Broomhead, 1967-1976 (?)
  • P. Onslow, 1976-1983 (?)
  • Laurie Kean, 1983-1986 (?)
  • A & K Hanson, 1986-? (?)
  • W & V Brown, dates unknown (?)
  • Barry Dabin, July 2004-? (?)
  • Don Smith, 2013-2023 (?)
  • Belinda Smith, 2023 (?)