The original ‘Pub with No Beer’ – Lees Hotel, in Ingham – has been sold to the growing family of Waymark Hotels for an undisclosed price.
Established in 1845 as the Day Dawn Hotel, the current pub was built in 1960. During WWII, it is said a troop of US troops stopped in town for a night, and drank all the pub’s beer. Local farmer Dan Sheahan arrived the next day to find he could get only a glass of red wine, and sat down to write his famous ode.
In 1957 Slim Dusty evolved the poem into a song that became one of his biggest hits, acknowledging Sheahan. A few years later, the pub changed its name to Lee’s Hotel.
Shane Punton reputedly bought Lee’s after learning it was the true ‘Pub With No Beer’, with publican leaseholder Glen Connell, who has worked in pubs since the age of 13.
Mid-2021 the pair put it to market as a freehold going concern for the first time in 50 years, sporting an asking price of $3.485 million.
Local council has been marketing the district in recent times, and it is said to be paying dividends. The town of Ingham counts the iconic Lees, as well as the Hinchinbrook, Royal and Station hotels.
It was confirmed this week that Waymark has bought both the freehold and leasehold businesses.
“We are now proudly a member of the Waymark Hotels family! There will be exciting times ahead at the original pub with no beer,” posted management.
Brisbane-based Waymark owns pubs across regional Queensland, including the Grandview in Bowen, the Commercial Hotel in Bowen and Commercial in Kingaroy.
The group cites it aims to set the benchmark for “authentic hospitality experiences” and strives to enrich the communities it calls home.
