Whittington Hotel, formerly
Marco Polo Hotel, Hokitika Hotel, Keen’s Family Hotel
and Earl of Hopetoun
Hotel 1854 - 1913
285 Grant Street, corner Grant Place, South Melbourne
MEL 2F H1
One of four hotels built on allotments purchased in the first
land sales in Emerald Hill in 1852, and named the Marco Polo after the first
wooden vessel to make a quick passage to Australia. First licensed by John
McBean in 1854, the hotel was sold in 1865 by owner John Bourke to William
Tracey. The Marco Polo was popular amongst sportsmen. It was renamed the
Hokitika in 1872 by William Rough, after a barque that was wrecked on 2 November
1872. Known as Keen’s Family Hotel after Edward Keen became its publican in
1887, the hotel was renamed the Earl of Hopetoun by Miss E Kavanagh in 1894, and
then the Whittington Tavern by Mrs F Hills in 1897, a name it retained until
de-licensing occurred on 18 April 1913.