According to local law, the Fretus Hotel started life as hotel in Sans Souci, NSW Australia. When the owner John Fretus fell on hard times, he made a rather bad decision. He decided to demolish the hotel and take the stone and materials to the middle of no-where and rebuild it.
He utilised a ship to carry it all by water, and then hauled it up the mountain and rebuilt it. The reasoning behind this decision was bad information. According to this website, the owners got some dodgy information that a main road would be built close by. But it never happened. So this lovely old building was left out in the middle of the Australian bush with no road access.
It was used for a while. But vandals and bushfire quickly destroyed it and it was abandoned.
So I just had to go find it.
I knew from my childhood where the general area of the hotel was. And thanks to Google maps I was able to locate it from sppaaaaaacceee. So plans were made and an expedition was formed.
The walk to the ruins was down an old bush track. Taking about an hour and a half each way. But finally we found it.
Just a warning, if you are going to find and visit this place. Please know it’s heritage listed so please treat the place with respect.
As we approached the ruin, we found the smaller outer building first. It was just a little hut, its use unknown.
Only a few meters away lay the ruins of the hotel. It’s roof and flooring gone. Only the thick standstone walls remain. This place has withstood time, fires and vandals and still stands.
Inside the building reveals a bunch of cosy rooms with fireplaces. Graffiti marks the walls where the plaster remains. Most it vintage and now as historical as the building itself.
Nearby a tree had fallen against the building allowing me to walk up to the roof and take these shots down into the building.
