Hotels

Licensed from March 1860.

Situated at the eastern side of current day Mount Pleasant this was originally the township of Totness, hence the name Totness Inn.

This was originally the turning point of the coach, where today's carpark for the hotel is situated, opposite the hotel. 

In 1860, Thomas Liddle, fresh from Reedy Creek, founded the Totness Inn. The licence was granted at the same time as the Talunga.

John and Catharine Schofield took over the Totness Hotel in 1865. They erected an assembly room in which to have entertainments in 1868.

 The Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904)Saturday 13 August 1870 - Page 4 read

GOLD-BEARING GRAVEL. -From Mount Pleasant our correspondent writes:-" The refuse gravel from the wash-dirt of the diggers is now being much used here for covering paths and similar purposes.  Mrs. Schofield, of the Totness Inn, used several loads, amongst which some fine specimens of gold in a light-coloured cement have been found, and sufficiently rich to lead to the belief that the whole would pay well for crushing. Mr. Pizey, of Messrs. Baynton, and Pizey, picked up on Saturday some specimens which will be worth the inspection of those interested in such matters." Mr. Pizey informs us that there are hundreds of tons of the stuff, and specimens may be seen at the Register office.

 After the death of her husband in 1869, Catharine continued running the Inn until soon before her death in 1897. Just a few months before her death John Birch took over the lease of the premises, and Catharine died in August.  

The property was left to her daughter Hannah Peterson, and afterwards was sold to William Galbraith Johnston of Oakbank, a brewer, in 1898, with John Birch continuing the lease for a further 5 years.

In 1918 Messrs J & AJ Johnston of Oakbank razed the old Totness Hotel and invested £3,000 in erecting a two-storeyed building. James Longmuir the landlord still managed to dispense hospitality.  The new taproom was opened by Henry Giles on the 3rd of August 1918. Visitors were amazed at the new bedrooms, bathrooms, lavatories, billiard room and the motor garage and trap shed out the back. Commercial travellers soon learned of the smoking room and lounge where a telephone and writing facilities could be found.

Mount Barker Courier and Onkaparinga and Gumeracha Advertiser (SA : 1880 - 1954), Friday 2 August 1918, page 2

IMPROVEMENTS AT MOUNT PLEASANT.

On Wednesday, the 3rd inst., the bar of the old Totness Hotel was declared open, under most favorable auspices. The opening ceremony was performed by Mr. H. A. Giles. In the course, of his remarks, Mr. Giles paid a high tribute to Mr. and Mrs. J. Longmuir for their unvarying courtesy to visitors staying at their, hostelry, either casually or permanent taking into consideration the chaos the place was in for some months,

Mr. and Mrs. Longmuir managed, at no little inconvenience to themselves and the staff under them, to minister to the comfort of their, visitors. But in a week or two there will be no need for that strain, as there has arisen from the ashes of the old Totness Inn a fully-equipped modern hotel, with spacious and well ventilated bedrooms, bath rooms, lavatories, billiard room, and other up-to-date requirements, which are second to none, either in Adelaide or any other holiday resort. We don't see why Mount Pleasant should not be a popular place for a holiday (now that the barrier of accommodation is removed), as there is magnificent scenery, both, in Mount Pleasant and the surrounding district, and in a couple of months' time, when the railway is running, it will be more accessible than heretofore.  We can't close without a word of praise to the contractors and the Staff of men employed by them, who, for the past six months worked assiduously to bring the building to a  satisfactory completion, neither can we withhold a word of praise from Mr. A. Hall and Mr. H. Bond, who had charge of the carpentry work; .Messrs. Langford Brothers, painting contractors; Mr. W. Collier, plastering;,Mr. J. Robertson, manager, and the entire staff in all branches who contributed to bring the building to a successful termination. 

The Totness Inn was used for many meetings including the ploughing matches, show, the railway, sporting bodies  and in 1886 an important meeting to consider the Local Government Bill regarding councils was held there. There was also coronial enquiries including one into the death of a young girl who was burnt in a fire.

 In the 1920’s when playing tennis was popular a court was made along side the Totness Inn.

When the early shows were held cattle were exhibited in yards behind the hotel.

The hotel was popular particularly with a drive through bottle shop however the premises closed in July 2021, with a refurbishment underway. The bottleship re-opened in 2022.

Licensed from March 1860. 

The original Mount Pleasant Inn was near and over the River Torrens at the rear of the current hotel. The earliest date of its existence was 1853.  An auction sale was held on 28th March 1856, for the sale of the first allotments in Mount Pleasant and William McBeath the Inn’s owner bought 3 lots. He could see the main road was going to change. Henry Glover may have named the new town after the Mount Pleasant Inn which would have been influenced by the Phillis and Bushel Families.

William McBeath sold the Inn to James Owen who maintained it at its site across the river from the town. He also had a wine and spirit store at Mount Pleasant.

South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900), Monday 14 February 1859, page 2

MOUNT PLEASANT.

From our own Correspondent. 

Mount Pleasant Februarv 9.

On Sunday afternoon, the 6th instant, this usually, quiet township was thrown into considerable alarm on account of the sudden outbreak of a serious fire at the public-house known as the Macbeath Inn. Shortly after 3 o'clock a carter, who was stopping to refresh his horses, having occasion to look to them, discovered a dense smoke coming apparently from the rear of the premises, and immediately informed the landlord's brother-in-law, who happened to be in the bar at the time. On proceeding to the back of the house, he saw that flames were just issuing from the roof. He at once warned the inmates of the establishment, who, with one or two persons at the time resting there, used every effort to remove the furniture, &. The alarm having been given, a great number of the neighbours and settlers, who were in chapel, rushed to the scene of the conflagration; but so rapid was the progress of the fire that hardly half the furniture, but fortunately the principal part of the stock in the cellar, were saved. I was one of the first on the spot, and I believe that, from the outbreak of the fire till the roof fell in, not more than 20 minutes elapsed. The fire is supposed to have been occasioned by a spark from the kitchen chimney falling on the shingles, which, from the state of the weather, were very hot. It is understood that the house, furniture, and stock were insured. The weather here for some days has been very hot, and several bush fires at a distance have been observed. Yesterday a large one was noticed in the direction of Gumeracha.

Given the opportunity to rebuild, James Owen, who had purchased the inn the previous year, opted to move the premises to the now more popular thoroughfare on the southern side of the river, and the licence which was granted in March 1860 was for the Talunga Hotel. It has been a popular hotel for meetings, functions and casual stop-overs since.

Owen eventually sold his hotel to a wealthy Lobethal brewer Wilhelm Kleinschmidt who leased the goodwill to Mark Lowe, Mount Pleasant’s pioneer bootmaker.  The Kleinschmidt/Lowe  combination renamed the business the Talunga, after the hundred.

In 1868 The Talunga spent £1,000 on additions to the hostelry. The innkeeper Thomas Skermer was disappointed when he failed to draw crowds at the balls, receptions etc. In 1876 a group of minstrels performed twice at the hotel. The Talunga was also used as a dinner celebration for Captain Bell of the Scott’s Reef Mining Company.  Reference was also made to the hotel when John Lee found a gold specimen weighing 5lb. just two miles from the hotel. As with the Totness Hotel, sports meetings, show dinners, and general social get togethers were held regularly.

Saleyards were built alongside both the old Mount Pleasant Inn and then the Talunga Hotel until the new yards were built on Saleyard Road.

In 2014 the then owners changed the name to Mount Pleasant Hotel Motel, and in 2020 this was changed to Talunga Mount Pleasant Hotel Motel.