15 WELLINGTON ST - THE KANGAROO INN

Building began at 15 Wellington Street in 1824, when a cottage was built by James Lyford. A variety of businesses were subsequently conducted on the site including a theatre, a bakery and stables, but it is best known as “The Kangaroo Inn.” The Inn was licensed between 1835 and 1842.

Many of the early hotels in Launceston doubled as community meeting places. St. John's Masonic Lodge had its foundations in a meeting held at the inn in 1842. Inquests were also held on the premises.

One suspects that many interesting stories could be told (and hopefully might be discovered) about the “Victorian Theatre”, as it was also known. An advertisement from the Cornwall Chronicle of 26 November 1842 reads:  "Mr REA (from England), the celebrated Ventriloquist, Mimic, Performer of Mechanical figures, Deception &etc, &etc, will perform at the Kangaroo Inn (for the first time in this colony), on the evenings of Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Boxes 4s, Pit 2s 6d."

In her book, A Walk Through Launceston's History, Beverley Heathcote gives more details about the Kangaroo Inn as well as some fascinating information about the theatre manager George Coppin who, amongst other things, was later to supply Burke and Wills with camels!!

(More details can  also be found at the Australian Heritage Database:

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=16101)