Bowen Historical Society & Museum

08/05/2026

🌊 The Story of the Lost Ozone Hotel of Bowen - Part 3
(taken from historical records at the Bowen Historical Museum)

🌀🌀🌀🌀🌀 Cyclone Disaster!

The 1958 Cyclone "Anonymous' took vengeance on the “Ozone” Hotel and utterly demolished the top storey and outer buildings except the toilet block.

Licensee of the Ozone at that time were huddled for three hours in a lean-to attached to the hotel😬😳. In the small darkened room they could hear the top storey of the hotel falling around them.🫣

The hotel was left a heap of rubble 🧱. Sections of the ground floor still standing were soaked 💦with water and furniture totally destroyed. 😢

The hotel as a total write-off ❌. It was insured for £10,000 💰 against cyclone 🌀 damage.

[Note: Based on historical inflation data, £10,000 Australian pounds in 1958 would be worth approximately $250,000 to over $300,000 AUD in today’s purchasing power, depending on the index used.
In 1958, Australia used the pound (£), which was replaced by the Australian dollar ($) in 1966 at a rate of £1 to $2.]

Later the owners arranged to have a Temporary Bar 🍺 set up in the area left standing, for their customers during this time but this too was demolished some 10 months later 😩 by Cyclone Connie, marking the end of the old Ozone Hotel. 🎬

♥️But the story isn’t done yet….

08/05/2026

01/05/2026

🌊 The Story of the Lost Ozone Hotel of Bowen - Part 2
(taken from historical records at the Bowen Historical Museum)

☀️Welcome back to Part 2 of our Ozone Hotel Story….

A.T. Tilt of Sydney, bought the Hotel in May 1936 from Mr. McGregor and at once set about negotiating to have renovations made to the hotel.🧱👷

In 1936 Mr. Tilt applied for the Licence name to be changed from the Ozone Hotel to the Queens Beach Hotel. ♥️

The road had been completely washed away around this time.

Tariff was then 12/- a day in 1937. (That’s the nights accommodation rate fyi) 😊
Mr. Tilt sold the hotel in March, 1939 to William Mackay who set about making a new tariff of £2/2/- (two guineas) per week fixed and special rates were offered to permanent boarders. Two guineas in 1937 would be worth approximately $240 to $260 AUD in 2026. 💵

Free use of the tennis court 🎾👟for all guests was permitted and it was reported that the Tennis Club was active in 1940 when the Club joined the Bowen Tennis Association to play in fixture competitions.

Air Force and Army personnel used the hotel for accommodation and offices in the war years.

This area after the War was later known as the North Qld. Cruising Yacht Club ⛵️and then the Bowen Civic Club.

Most of the houses 🏘️ built in the area at this time were relocated to Herbert Street and Queens Beach area in the 1950-60's, by order of Council, owing to the erosion of the shoreline. 🚩

26/04/2026

🌊 The Story of the Lost Ozone Hotel of Bowen - Part 1 (taken from historical records at the Bowen Historical Museum)

The Early Years of the Hotels Licence Holders

🗺️ Early in the 1920's a land speculator, Mr. Hubert Clive Daniel bought land around Queens Beach and Bowen.

He bought the frontage to the Golf Links Road ⛳️and several back blocks, between Queens Beach and the Edgecumbe end of the bay.

🌳Lined with tea-trees this area between the Soldiers Road of today and the Pocket area of Grays bay, was a great spot for picnickers 🧺and a general social place for the Bowen people. Access to this popular area was by way of a road which ran along the seafront to the Pocket.

By 1927 the new Ozone hotel 🏨 built by Mr. Daniel was run by a Mr. Payne. The Hotel had a Café, Soda Fountain, and the rooms had running water 💧, septic system 🚽, electric light 💡and bathrooms 🛁. He employed a first class Chef and advertised good fishing 🎣oystering, a fine beach 🏖️, and safe swimming 🏊‍♂️ .

By 1928 a Provisional Licence for the Hotel was taken up by one Rose Anysia Webster, her husband was the shipping manager of Bergl Aust., in Bowen. The hotel did not have a Liquor Licence before this date. 🍻

☀️In December 1928 there was an application for the licence to be transferred to William Wesley who had procured a nine year lease of the Ozone Hotel from Mr. Daniel. By March of the following year, the Bowen Independent had an article in the Council notes stating great concern ❗️about the road on the seaward side of the hotel which had suffered severe damage from the recent heavy rains and high tides. 🌊

The licence had changed hands once more to Ada Elizabeth Coull, of Perth and Toowoomba.

Major improvements were made during the time while Mrs. Coull held the licence. 🪪

There seemed to be a progression of Licensees as a notice appeared saying one Mr. George Francis Trim, formerly of Brisbane had made an application for the Hotel, on 6th December, 1930.

By 1932 Mr. Trim transferred his licence to James Alexander McGregor formerly of Brisbane.

J.A. McGregor was very keen to have a type of zoo at the Ozone Hotel and he placed advertisements in the local paper wanting to buy crimson wing parrots, finches etc. 🦜 He also built aviaries, ferneries 🪴, and gold fish ponds 🐟, while in the main building he made provision for private card and bridge rooms ♠️♦️♥️♣️ and an area for social dance nights around the veranda. 🕺💃

Mr McGregor survived from a brown snake 🐍 bite from one of his own reptiles. He was also recognised for his work on sea snakes and crustaceans found on the beach which he donated to the Queensland Museum. 😮

He was also involved in running the Publican's booth at the local Bowen Show in 1935. 🎪

[Part 2 of the Ozone Hotel Storyon its way soon…]

25/04/2026

Lest We Forget

Thankyou to everyone who came to see us down at the museum today after the parade.

If you missed out - there is always next year 😉

24/04/2026

Ancestry.com has access to free wartime history records for 3 days only

https://www.ancestry.com.au/c/war-records?o_xid=47819&o_lid=47819&o_sch=Paid+Search+Brand&ancid=peo28k9kzz&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14713313030&gbraid=0AAAAADrxON2H2cX-yzWQwc5J_kzT-r12o&gclid=CjwKCAjwhqfPBhBWEiwAZo196kR3eHRm9Ou_Xkq2qXWn-yyzdoi3THEJdS_3Gl672820gvlEumxzABoCejEQAvD_BwE

Free Access to global wartime records

22/04/2026

🏨The Lost OZONE HOTEL 🌊

Did you know Bowen was once home to a grand seaside hotel… now completely lost to the sea?
It was built to be Bowen’s tourist mecca of the late 1920’s.

The Ozone Hotel was positioned right on the “Queensbeach beachfront”(between Soldiers Road and the Pocket area of Greys bay is today). It offered sweeping ocean views and cool sea breezes—perfect for visitors seeking rest, relaxation, and a breath of that famous “ozone-rich” coastal air.

In its heyday, the hotel was a bustling hub of social life. Locals and travellers alike would gather for holidays, events, and seaside escapes - enjoying everything the Bowen coastline had to offer.

But nature had other plans 🌀

✨ More information on this over the coming weeks. Make sure to like our page so you get the full story!