THE Rosewood Hotel has changed hands for the first time in almost two decades.

Current and soon to be former owners, Carol Moore and David Pahlke, say they will hand over the keys to the new owners, sometime in the near future.

Carol and David purchased the hotel in January 2004, and lived in the upstairs residence for almost a decade.

And the ‘middle pub’ as it’s known won its ‘historic’ label a long time ago.

A licence was issued for the sale of spiritous liquor for the first pub which bore the name the ‘Rosewood Hotel’ in the 1870s. A fire, in 1914, razed that building to the ground but it was rebuilt soon after as the two-storey, verandah fronted hotel that stands in John Street today.

While it has been on the market for some years, Carol and David, said it will be a wrench to finally handover ownership.

Carol says her fondness for the main street edifice comes from her family’s links to the coal mining industry, and David points out that the Rosewood Hotel was many a miner’s local drinking hole in the hundred plus years when local coal mines were the big employers in town.

“The hotel was the first pub in Rosewood to gain a liquor license in the 1870s, and there have been many stories and friendships that have been exchanged here,” he said.

“Soldiers, miners, local workers and families all have some sort of tale to tell about a meal that they have shared, or a cold one that they have enjoyed over the bar - it really was the heart of Rosewood.”

And the hotel too has been the source of local employment in its time.

“We have employed many locals who ran the bar and who cooked the meals and have seen the place thrive with live music, karaoke and of course with close competitions over the pool table,” David said.

“Just looking around I can recall so many moments of laughter, joy and fun times that have been had and it has been an absolute pleasure to have been a part of it all.

“We love the hotel, it is just so rich in history and potential, though unfortunately we just do not have the funds to bring it back to its former glory.”

The ‘middle pub’ has also been the haunt of a number of ethereal visitors, if the stories can be believed.

“There’s reports of ghostly sightings and events that are unexplainable,” David continued.

“Paranormal groups, psychics, and ghost hunters have all found the hotel to be of much interest and there have been photographs and videos to prove paranormal activity.

“An African American was shot dead at the front entrance during World War II and the hotel burnt to the ground in 1914, taking a few neighbouring buildings with it, along with the lives of many cats.

“After this tragedy the hotel was rebuilt, with the builders adding a verandah and many owners since reported various happenings inside the building such as televisions turning on and off, mysterious footsteps, water on the beds and floors and things that just go missing.

“A woman in a pioneering dress has also been spotted standing on the verandah and various orbs and figures have been caught on camera and video … the legend of this hotel still grows today.”

But it is the vision that the new owners have for the hotel that gives David reassurance that the hotel’s traditions will carry on.

“The new owners have some great ideas to bring this rich piece of Rosewood’s history back to life, just like we certainly did,” he said.

“We wish them all the very best into their future endeavours and plans and we look forward to having a meal and a drink when it opens.”