Licensees
1864– 1874– William Norman
1873 – William Norman holder of a Wine Cider and Perry Licence
Location
Upper Araluen at the foot of the Majors Creek track (mountain).
Historical Maps1NSW Land Registry Service, Parish and Historical Maps. Historical Land Records Viewer https://www.nswlrs.com.au/Parish-and-Historical-Maps. Accessed 17 February 2023 shows the lands purchased by William Norman as:
| Por | Plan | Loc | Vol | Fol | Pub | |
| Norman, William | 181 | 558 | NW | 57 | 247 | Mountain Inn |
| Norman, William | 182 | 10 | NW | 983 | 151 | Mountain Inn |
In the News
The List of Licensed Publicans in Police District Araluen, dated 1 January 1864, and updated, 2Accumulated resources and research notes on parishes and churches of the Archdiocese collected by ‘Father Brian Maher’, Catholic Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, Series CG1021: Braidwood File 1 / Item 11/1. notes the William Norman licensee of the Mountain Inn, at upper Araluen, Majors Creek Road, on 1 January 1864.
In January 1864, The Araluen Star 3Araluen Star and Miners’ Right (NSW : 1863 – 1864), Saturday 16 January 1864, page 2 detailed a “cool robbery … Mr. William Norman, who keeps a licensed house at the foot of the Major’s Creek Mountain, was away some short distance from his house, …. went to do some little jobs of worth around the place, when looking around he observed two men riding towards two of his horses, which were running a little distance from the house. They both alighted, and seized one of the two horses. They then took the saddle off one of the horses they had ridden (it being quite done up), and placed it on Mr. Norman’s horse, who, on observing it ran towards them, but, before he could get sufficiently near, they rode off in the direction of Fuller’s Mountain. The rascals, no doubt, would have taken the other horse, had it not been for the timely interference of Mr. Norman, who sprang upon the horse they had left behind, but, it being quite useless, he could not overtake them. He then gave information to the police”. 4Newcastle Chronicle and Hunter River District News (NSW : 1859 – 1866), Saturday 23 January 1864, page 4
The Mountain Inn at the foot of the Majors Creek Track was advertised in the Braidwood News and General Advertiser in 1864.
The Sydney Morning Herald 5Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954), Tuesday 21 March 1865, page 9 in March 1865 records the attempted robbery of the Gold escort “ on the road between Araluen and Braidwood [Majors Creek], which occurred on the morning of the 13th instant. …The Araluen escort left Redbank, as usual, between, eight and nine o’clock on that morning; … driven by Mr. Blatchford… The conveyance was accompanied by Constable Burns, who preceded the cart some distance, Constable Kelly alongside the cart, Stapleton and another Constable whose name we could not learn a short distance in the rear…The escort proceeded, as usual, along the track leading to the Major’s Creek Mountain road… within half-a-mile of the top of the mountain and not many yards from where it was , attempted to stick up the escort two years and a half ago, Kelly was observed to suddenly raise both arms, and immediately fall from his horse… instantaneously with this the report of a gun was heard,…four men, described as Hall, Gilbert, Dunn, and the fourth.. Mr. Blatchford then ran down the mountain to Norman’s public-house, and getting a horse, rode to the police camp, and reported the circumstance, and afterwards to Redbank, and sent the telegram to the police authorities at Braidwood. .. the bushrangers retreated up the range, mounted their horses, and were making off.”
In the 1943 obituary for Mrs Mary Ann Norman, (nee Oram) who, following the death of first husband Mr W. Mather, married David Norman, the Braidwood Dispatch 6Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal (NSW : 1888-1954), Friday 18 June 1943, p 2.details ‘When Mrs. Norman first went to Araluen her late husband’s father, the late Mr. W. Norman, was in possession of the well-known property at the foot of the Major’s Creek mountain, where in the early days there was a flourishing hotel. Many an interesting story could the late Mrs. M. A. Norman relate of happenings at this historic spot. Gold flowed freely in those hectic times, and Araluen was a seething hive of activity. Dances held at the Normans’ pub were bright affairs, often being lent additional colour and excitement by the unexpected dropping-in of the notorious bushrangers who roved the land. After their more serious business lower down the creek at Araluen these ‘Knights of the Road’ often called at the hotel for a drink and a bit of fun before making up the mountain on their way to the mountain fastnesses[?] beyond Braidwood.’
In December 1870, William Norman7New South Wales Police Gazette and Weekly Record of Crime (Sydney : 1860-1930), Wednesday 21 December 1870 (No.51), p 339 was reported as ‘being summonsed by Sergeant Brennan and Constable Lenihan, Araluen Police, for selling spirits without a license, and has been fined £30. One week allowed to pay fine.‘
An Inquest was held in Araluen on 25 November 18728Evening News (Sydney, NSW : 1869-1931), Monday 25 November 1872, p 4, before the district Coroner and a jury of 12, respecting the death of Ah Munn. From the evidence adduced it appeared that ‘the deceased, who was a digger, living near the Major’s Creek, was last seen alive on the Friday evening when he called at Norman’s public house at the foot of the mountain, and obtained a shilling’s worth of brandy. His death was found to have resulted from disease of the lungs.
In 1874, William Norman is noted as the licensee for the Commercial Hotel, in Majors Creek.