THE Margaret River Hotel could be said to represent the beginnings of tourism in the township.
It was while Bernard Henry Everingham McKeown was on holiday in the town that he bought an acre of land in the middle of Margaret River.
Part of this was to become the site of his Margaret River Hotel, which opened in 1936.
It opened with much flourish and advertised that it had hot and cold running water in all of its 16 bedrooms - a luxury at the time.
Electricity was provided by a Crossley 12-horsepower semi-diesel 250-volt generator which was turned off at midnight and candles prevailed after that.
Cool drinks were manufactured in the hotel yard, where a small aerated water plant was installed, housed in a shed.
Excellent service was offered to guests.
For a tariff of 12 shillings per day or four guineas a week - a princely sum - a guest could expect early morning tea and toast and a daily paper, breakfast, lunch (or cut lunch in a hamper) and an evening four course meal. Guests were welcomed by a white-jacketed valet who carried their baggage to their rooms.
The opening day at the hotel on April 11, 1936 was a special day for the town as a dance and musical items were offered in "the new and commodious town hall" following the hotel's festivities.
The hotel opening was a success - with 12oz pots of beer selling at sixpence each, the bar takings for the day amounted to 100.
Mrs McKeown was a respected and admired supervisor of the running of the hotel.
Her excellence as a seamstress was evident in the hotel linen and she kept vases of fresh flowers everywhere.
Vegetables for the hotel meals were grown in a kitchen garden behind the hotel building.
The hotel has seen several refurbishments and transformations over the years, but it remains a landmark in the town, one of the few original buildings left to see.