Morven's history will come to life in more ways than one next year when a new hotel is constructed in the town's main street, to be known as Sadleir's Waterhole.
Replacing the Morven Hotel Motel that burnt down in April 2016, the new pub's name has been derived from a waterhole of the same name in Hamburg Creek that the township was originally settled on, when Captain TJ Sadleir and his wife set up camp there in the 1860s.
The name is pronounced as Saddlers.
Louise Winten, the spokeswoman for the group of eight local families that has acquired the land and liquor licence, said they were excited to move the project forward and see the south west town's main street filled with businesses again.
Morven became a town without either beer or a dedicated grocery shop when the local supermarket closed unexpectedly in 2017, but the latter reopened a couple of months ago.
"We will be buying from there, and there will be employment in the hotel for locals," Ms Winten said. "The community has suffered during such a prolonged drought so we are very excited to be moving forward."
After a working bee scheduled this month to clear the site, the Morven Hotel Group is hoping that building will start early in the new year so that it can open the doors to a family-friendly pub with a country-style atmosphere in the first half of the year.
One of the vacant site's features still standing after the 2016 fire has been an old baker's oven but unfortunately it won't be a part of the new hotel.
Ms Winten said it had been declared unstable by the Murweh council, who had issued an order to demolish it.
"We will be saving the big oven doors and the bricks though, which we might incorporate in a pizza oven or something like that down the track," she said.
Sadleir's Waterhole would not be just a place to serve alcohol but an essential community hub, she said, adding that a venue where people could relax and socialise had been missed as the drought wore on.
The hotel will provide meals, as well as hot showers, meals and downtime for truckies heading north, east or west through town.
Ms Winten said they wouldn't be offering accommodation but there was a motel just a few doors away for overnight travellers.
Sally Gall
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
Based at Blackall, CW Qld, where I've raised a family, run Merino sheep and beef cattle, and helped develop a region - its history, tourism, education and communications. Get in touch at 0427 575 955 if you've got a story idea for me.
