A wine shanty once stood between the Cumborah Springs Hotel (later known as the Federal) and the Wilby Wilby Hotel, near the Narran River on the Walgett to Goodooga Road. The hotel was operated by John Ward in 1881, and by 1888, it had passed to John and Elizabeth Brown, who later earned the nickname ‘Mrs Wilby Wilby’. In 1898, the hotel was re-opened by I. H. Arnold, though ownership remained with Elizabeth Brown.
Mrs. Wilby Wilby, or Lizzie Brown, was a vibrant character known for her fiery red hair and bold nature. She faced several sly grog charges between 1893 and 1902, likely connected to her time at Wilby Wilby. Lizzie lived at the de-licensed Grawin Inn until her death in 1920. Rumour has it she once held up a man behind a large box tree; in 1999, a metal detector revealed the trunk was full of metal.
Three graves lie past a bottle dump nearby. Lizzie and her daughter, Isobel McKenzie, have iron surrounds, while a third grave is unmarked—possibly a policeman shot at the inn. The arrangement suggests that graves might have been swapped, as one appears much older. Isobel’s headstone reads 1906, though she died in 1898—likely placed by her husband’s family. Lizzie’s grave remains unmarked.
The Grawin Mystery – North Western Courier
Pub Stories
Discover the history of the Pubs of Grawin
The Pubs of Grawin
Wherever there were changing stations, hotels soon followed, and the Wilby Wilby Hotel on the Narran, and the Grawin Hotel soon established themselves as watering holes, followed closely by the Comborah Hotel and the township of Cumborah.