It seems that in 1882 at “Emandale” there was the Eumanbah Hotel under the control of J. J. Barnes, but the origins of the hotel appear to trace back to a bush racecourse.
At ‘Humanbah’ there was a makeshift country racecourse which hosted infrequent country races, managed by Mr Joseph Dawson, when he was described as “a wine-shop keeper, dwelling at Humanbah” (see story below). He appears to have been on the property from as early as 1872, gradually evolving a public house, until in May 1877 ‘Joseph Dawson of Humanbah’ was formally granted a publican’s licence. That year the ever-reliable Town and Country Journal noted;
“EUMANBAH HOTEL – The opening of this hotel was celebrated by feasting and races, and although the crown kept the place lively for three days, all passed off without any quarrels.“
The location was still linked with the track known as ‘Dawson’s Racecourse’ in 1879, as evidenced by the makeshift race scheduled for St Patrick’s Day of that year:
“A match for £20 a-side is to be run off on St. Patrick’s Day, over the ‘Humanbah Inn’ (Dawson’s) racecourse. The equine candidates are the property of Mr. James B. Doyle and Mr. Joseph Dawson, both of whom are good sportsmen. A few wagers are already laid upon the event.”
In 1879 Humanbah made the news on two occasions; Mrs Dawson of the Humanbah Inn survived her dress catching alight after she got too close to the fire causing “severe injuries”, and the Humanbah Hotel was the location of a robbery of women’s jewellery the same year, showing, if nothing else, the interchangeability of titles.
Somewhere between 1879 and 1881 J. Barnes took over the licence of the Humanbah Hotel, which, in a further conflation of names, became known as the ‘Eumanbah’, with both prefixes used in different publications to relay the account of a stabbing in 1882.;
“STABBING CASE – A serious case occurred on Monday last at Barne’s Eumanbah Hotel, when two men named Simpson and Ryan are alleged to have been stabbed by one M’Kerlin. The wounds, which are near the knee in the case of Simpson, and in the leg in Ryan’s case, area rather of a serious nature. The disturbance arose over a dog of M’Kerlin’s being kicked out of the hotel by some person. The police have the matter in hand.“
The hotel was probably not as successful as it had previously been by 1888, and the Sydney Evening News reports a deliberate attempt to burn the premises on 7 June 1888;
“SUSPECTED INCENDIARISM – Walgett, Friday. – On Tuesday night a deliberate attempt to burn down the Eumanbah Hotel, near Walgett, was made. The main building was fired in several places, but the people sleeping inside discovered the fire, and no material damage was done. Two persons have been arrested on suspicion.”
It seems that at some time between 1895 and 1899 the hotel did not exist, as in April 1899 John Alves applied for a conditional licence for premises at Eumanbah to be known “by sign” as a commercial hotel containing six rooms. It is not known whether the licence was granted nor is there any further information regarding the Eumanbah Hotel.
A favourite story of the Eumanbah, showing the interconnectedness of country life, and the stark humanity of bush life, comes from Joseph Dawson’s time in 1876:
“On Friday, the 11th instant, about two p. m. Mr. J. Dawson, a wine-shop keeper, dwelling at Humanbah, some eight miles from Walgett, on the north side of the Barwin, came hurriedly into town, and seeking out the Police Magistrate, appealed to him for the assistance of the black tracker to search for his child, aged four years and six months, who had wandered away in the bush early on that morning. Our worthy P.M. explained to poor Dawson that unfortunately no black tracker was attached to the police force here, and further inquiry elicited the unsatisfactory disclosure that there was not a police horse on the station that could carry a policeman to Dawson’s house. Abandoning hope of police aid (although the police nobly volunteered to even walk on the search), at the suggestion of the Police Magistrate the anxious father applied to Mr. D. M. Jones, of the Telegraph Hotel, in whose service is an aboriginal of the old class, known as “Jacky Bundah.” This old savage was fortunately available, and it is needless to add, that he was at once impressed. It so happened that no saddle horses were about on this particular occasion, and thus those who would have heart and hand willingly joined in the search were reluctantly compelled to remain inactive, and in a state of anxious suspense as to the fate of the little wanderer. John Dawson had to surrender the horse which he rode in to Bundah, that he might the quicker get to the place the child was lost from, he (Dawson) returning on foot. It would be an unhallowed act to record the “touch of nature ” embodied in the parting supplications of the father, or the hope-breathing assurances of the dark-skinned and untutored denizen of the forest, as with instinctive confidence he hastened upon his labour of love.“
It was reported that the child was found safe and well and returned to his grateful father the same night.