welcome to ararat’s friendly hotel

Quench your thirst on your way to the Grampians...

The Shire Hall Hotel is a community friendly place to gather with your friends for a good time. We welcome travellers on their way to the Grampians with our cold beer, hearty food and clean, ‘pub style’ accommodation.

The Shire Hall Hotel is located in Ararat, 203 kms north-west of Melbourne - the gateway to the Grampians and Pyrenees wine regions.

The Shire Hall Hotel was originally a wooden building erected in 1860 by Samuel Laundry, a grocer, and occupied by him as a shop and dwelling until 1871. His brother Henry bought the building and converted it into a hotel to profit from the nearness of the Shire Hall and the coming of the railway. The present building was erected by the Ballarat brewing company in 1926 for the then licensee Mr. Larry Cashin. The Hotel is now operated by Kerry ‘Stocky’ and Toni Stockwell.