Built in 1912, the Augusta Hotel boasts one of the best views of any hotel in Western Australia. It has a superb river front location high on the banks of the Hardy Inlet, where the Blackwood River meets the Southern Ocean.
The Augusta Hotel is made up of a number of different building stages, including elements of the original, single-storey stone building. Evidence of the old hotel includes the central portion of the ground floor façade, which was constructed of roughly squared stone blocks, ruled as ashlar and since painted. This portion of the building features original cast-iron wall vents and vertically proportioned double-hung timber windows, each with 8 panes to the upper panel and 2 to the lower. It also features an original entrance door with extant joinery and diamond pattern highlights. Adjacent to the entrance there is a smooth cut foundation stone acknowledging the Ellis family and the architect (see photo, above).
Additions dating from the second half of the twentieth century include the large masonry posts to the front verandah; a second story addition (with plain rendered walls, a low pitched gable roof, and simple rectangular, metal-framed windows); a single storey bottle shop addition (on the northern side); and a one-two storey restaurant and motel wing on the southern side. These major additions have largely obscured the scale and character of the original building.
The Hotel is a family oriented and child friendly establishment featuring a lounge bar with bistro meals, function room and a very large grassed outdoor area.
Located just 320 km south of Perth, the Augusta region is one of Australia’s best kept secrets. The idyllic location, breathtaking coastline and natural attractions make it the perfect place to experience the wonders of the South West: the beauty of Southern Right and Humpback Whales in Flinders Bay, two oceans meeting at the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse, the peaceful serenity of Hamelin Bay, the enchanting underground local caves and, of course, the magnificent fishing of both the river and the sea.