The full green and gold frontage of Hunters Hotel on Orr Street, Queenstown, under a clear blue sky

Heritage listed . Built 1899

It stood empty for twenty years.Now the light is back on.

Hunters Hotel sits halfway along Orr Street, in the middle of Queenstown, with the mountains at the end of the road. Ralph and his wife bought it derelict and spent six years putting it back together by hand. The rooms are open to guests again, and breakfast comes with them.

Call to book a room What a night here looks like

Google rating: 4.8 out of 5
Guest reviews: 71
Restoration: Six years

The hotel

Bought derelict, in what the owner cheerfully calls a fit of insanity

The building went up in 1899, when Queenstown was a copper town and Orr Street had a pub every hundred metres. By the time Ralph and his wife found it, the doors had been shut for about twenty years and the place was derelict. They bought it anyway.

What followed was six years of work: the roof, the floors, the ornate cast iron lacework across the balcony, the plaster ceilings, the joinery, the paintwork. The green and gold you see from the street is theirs. So is the new timber decking upstairs, and the fire in the lounge.

In April 2024 the local paper ran the story under the headline "Hunter Hotel reopens after seven-year restoration journey". That is roughly how it felt, they say. The rooms had finally opened to guests.

A hotel this old does not get restored by a company. It gets restored by two people who decided it was worth saving.

1899

Year built

20 yrs

Shut before them

6 yrs

Restoring it

2024

Rooms reopened

Gold cast iron lacework along the hotel balcony, casting patterned shadows onto new timber decking, with a dog asleep in the sun — The balcony, restored. The lacework is the reason people stop on the footpath and look up.

Staying here

Rooms that take you back a bit, without the draught

Ensuite double rooms upstairs, all of them worked on one at a time. Floral papers above the timber panelling, a fireplace, a proper bed. Guests keep using the same phrase in their reviews: it takes you back in time. The comforts, though, are modern.

A guest room at Hunters Hotel with a made bed, brick fireplace, timber panelling, floral wallpaper and a tea tray

In the room

Ensuite double rooms, plus a Travellers suite with its own bathroom across the hall
Beds guests describe as super comfy, under high Victorian ceilings
A fireplace heater, robes and slippers
Kettle with tea, coffee, sugar and biscuits set out on the tray
Smart TV with Netflix, YouTube and a long list of internet channels
Wi-Fi throughout the hotel

Worth knowing

Check in is from 3pm. There is free two hour parking on the street out the front between 9 and 5, and the whole town is a short walk from the door.

Ring Ralph about a room

Breakfast is included

One guest liked it enough to write down everything on the table

Breakfast comes with the room, and it is a proper spread rather than a tray warming under a lamp. A guest who stayed earlier this year thought enough of it to write down everything that was on offer, so we may as well use her list.

Fresh fruit
Cold meats and cheeses
Toast with jams and jellies
Cereal
Antipasto
Juices
Tea and coffee

"The breakfast which we got with our room was simple yet nourishing and tasty."

Cam, five stars on Google

The downstairs guest lounge, with a crystal chandelier, a carved timber overmantel, an open fireplace and a stack of split logs

The downstairs lounge. Guests tend to end up in here with a book rather than going straight up to bed.

Lunch at the hotel

Mimso at Hunters serves lunch in the hotel on weekdays, from 11am. It is run as a separate kitchen, so for the lunch menu give them a ring on 0401 857 903.

Gallery

The building, and the street it stands on

Most of these were taken by Ralph as the work went on. Nothing here is a stock photo of somewhere else.

The green and gold frontage of Hunters Hotel seen from across Orr Street

The long timber bar inside the hotel, with a stone wall and high raked ceiling

The hotel lit up at dusk under a purple sky after rain

Orr Street in the morning, looking up to the snow covered range above Queenstown

Guests

4.8 out of 5, from 71 reviews

"In my opinion, this peaceful, character-full, heritage-listed hotel, renovated by Ralph and his wife, represents the beautiful combination of rich history with tasteful modernisation which Queenstown is gradually achieving. The building and rooms themselves transport you back in time."

"Met Ralph the owner of this fine historic establishment. A very personable and knowledgeable about the area. We stayed in the ‘Travellers suite’ with private bathroom across the hall. Bed super comfy. Historic decor, takes you back in time. We love it here and would highly recommend."

"We had a wonderful stay! Not only was the accommodation clean, authentic and historical. The host is so much fun. Full of story and great advice for seeing the area. Thank you Ralph!"

"Hunter's Hotel in Queenstown is a fantastic find, especially if you're motorcycling across Tasmania. After a long day on the road, the rooms were incredibly comfortable and provided the perfect place to recharge. What truly sets this place apart are the owners. They are a lovely couple who make a point of talking to every guest personally."

Orr Street looking towards the snow dusted mountains, with Hunters Hotel on the right

Where you are

Queenstown, in the mountains of the West Coast

You step out of the door onto the main street. The West Coast Wilderness Railway station, the Galley Museum and the Paragon Theatre are all within a few minutes walk. Drive a little further and you have the Iron Blow Lookout and Horsetail Falls up at Gormanston, the 99 Bends dropping down towards the coast, and Strahan on the harbour about forty kilometres west. There is a golf course in town too.

Riders crossing Tasmania stop here for exactly this reason: somewhere to put the bike, a hot shower, and someone who knows the roads.

Find us on Orr Street

Find us

Ask about a room

The quickest way is to ring. If it is easier to write, send a note and it will land straight in the hotel inbox.

Phone: 0487 878 848
Email: huntershotelqueenstown@gmail.com
Address: 24-28 Orr St, Queenstown TAS 7467
Facebook: Hunters Hotel on Facebook