In 1848 Mr. John Collins and Mr. H. Kirby erected the Horse and Jockey Inn at the corner of Palmerin and Victoria Street.
The idea was Collins’, but to get the inn erected he has to get Kirby to pit saw the timber for it and collect all the round timber required, after which Kirby became a partner.
The building the hotel provided badly needed accommodation for the traveller and it became the favourite meeting place for the local squatters and business people alike. On Sunday church services were also held there, up until the slab courthouse was built. Later called the Commercial, other licensees were George Brown about 1860 and Fred Evenden about 1863.