The earliest reference found states that in 1878, the licence for the Goorooway Hotel was held by William Simpson, who opened the doors in 1879. The premises were owned by Dungelear Station, and the partnership between owner and licensee was to remain until 1881 when the hotel was referred to as the Gorawang Inn.
In 1882 it was reported that two dam makers died suddenly at the Gooraway Hotel, by name of Welsh and Maffatt. The verdict was returned to the effect that in each case, death was caused by heat apoplexy, a consequence of the use of ardent spirits at Simpson’s Gooraway Hotel.
Subsequent publicans were: 1882 Charles Ferguson; 1884 Harry Worrard; 1886 Joseph Bradbury; 1887 -93 then 1895 George Ragan; 1896-99 James Holmes; 1900-11 Arthur Dawson Sr.
The Goorooway Hotel was the talk of the town in February 1911 when three noted Lightning Ridge couples married at the hotel, in an event that became known as the TRIPLE ALLIANCE.. Ted Mudie married Mae Durrington, W..Digby tied the knot with Agnes Conlin and Watty Vause took the hand of Bertha Hogden.
The Goorooway was taken over by William Pritchard in 1914, and subsequently in 1918 Louisa Pritchard took over the licence when her husband, William, died (in 1917). It seems that in 1919 the licence was surrendered. Mrs Pritchard, a well-known Walgett resident, had eight children and it can be well imagined the difficulty she would have had in continuing the hotel in an era when many Walgett district hotels disappeared.
The hotel was closed in 1920 following a great protest at the proposal to close it in July of 1919.