The Hotel

Hotel Renmark has undertaken an incredible refurbishment of the Nanya Bistro to include the Terrace and Deck. It has also included Group Stay accommodation – catering for large groups, (in the same space that once housed the longest bar in the Southern Hemisphere.)

Hotel Renmark opened its very own museum showcasing a small array of items and photos through the vast history of the hotel. Located on the first floor of the hotel and open daily from 9am-5pm it is well worth a visit.

Live bands were introduced every Saturday night free of charge! Local and intrastate bands playing all the hits. Hotel Renmark has even hosted Clint Boge from Australian band The Butterfly Effect, Phil Jameson from Grinspoon and more recently, The X Factor Australia winner, Reece Mastin, in 2022.

The beer garden was added to the sports bar (in what is now The Main Bar).

Nanya Bistro was renovated and modernised to create open dining with an alfresco deck.

Motel rooms and drive through bottle shop were added to the growing hotel.

Gaming machines were legalised in South Australia. The Eureka Gaming Room was opened (in what is now the Main Bar). Hotel Renmark became Heritage listed with the South Australian Heritage commission.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana, visited on 6th April, 1983 as part of the Royal visit. Renmark and Port Pirie were the only country towns included on their busy itinerary. Pictured here on the Nanya Lounge balcony waving to the crowd that waited below.

On the 15th November, 1957, the Hotel opened a bar (in what is now 15th St Group Stay) which was the longest bar in the Southern Hemisphere. It was 205 feet or 62.4 metres long, circled the whole room and had 20 taps.

The hotel was saved by the levee bank that cut down the middle of the main street. It was recorded that flood water did manage to seep through into the cellars of the Hotel. A jar of flood water is on display in the hotel museum, recovered from a safe that had fallen through the floor many years before.

During World War II in 1942, the Hotel built an Observation Post on the tower, at the front of the Hotel. This was used as an air-spotters’ post, and had personnel rostered 24 hours a day.

The 2nd floor was added– it comprised of another 18 rooms that could house 24 people. The Hotel was now offering 87 rooms as accommodation, at least 20 of those were permanent boarders.

About 150 men and hundreds of horses together with a few tractors were kept busy constructing levees to protect the town from rising flood waters. This was the highest flood water by 15cm from the previous recorded flood in 1917.

The new section of the hotel stretched along para street facing Murray avenue contained a tap room, first and second class dining rooms, ladies room and private parlour. There were 7 spacious bedrooms and 1 bathroom added to the 2nd floor.

Donations to the Community from the early 1900s were instrumental in establishing the Renmark town. Donations went to building the Renmark Institute, Renmark Hospital, a fire station, public toilets, caravan park, and to the Council for road works, paving, parks and gardens. Others to benefit from Hotel donations were the Scouts, Girl Guides, racing club, schools, bands and football club, with donations still being made today to numerous organisations. Over the following years, the Hotel transferred ownership of land along James Avenue and Murray Avenue to the council, for gardens for public use. With the support of the Community and visitors to the district the Hotel Renmark continues to donate its facilities, time and money for the benefit of Renmark, Paringa, Lyrup and Cooltong residents.

Jane Meissner previous owner of Meissner’s Temperance Hotel, a single storey timber and iron Hotel, provided good accommodation and meals. It had been claimed that when the districts population had reached 1000, there was 13 sly grog shops. A campaign to change this was set in motion and in March 1897 the Renmark Community Hotel was formed, the first Community Hotel in the British Empire.

Renmark was Australia’s first irrigation colony and was proclaimed “Dry” at the instigation of its founders, the Chaffey Brother’s. They were Canadians who had developed similar schemes in California during the latter part of the nineteenth century.