Daily Photo – Eichardt’s on Marine Parade in Queenstown.

This is Eichardt’s in Queenstown. It sits on the corner of Marine Parade and is one of those places that seems to reinvent itself about every ten years or so. The current version is part upmarket boutique hotel and part fashion store. But it hasn’t always been like that. Over the years, it has been a private hotel, a public hotel, a public bar, a restaurant, a café, a fashion outlet, and even office space – all quite a long way from the Woolshed it began life as, 160 years ago.

In that time, it’s seen men on it, in it, under it, and thrown out of it. It’s been flooded more times than anyone can remember, appeared on TV, featured in books, and even hosted livestock. One memorable incident from the early mining days involved a prospector fresh from the diggings who rode his horse straight through the front doors and up to the bar. Seeing no reason to dismount when refreshments were only a few metres away, he placed an order with the bar staff – one drink for himself and one for the horse. By all accounts, the horse behaved perfectly, though it had to be escorted back outside before it could sample the beer.