The starting point for the Self-Guided Heritage Tour of Goulburn is Mandelson’s of Goulburn.

Mandelson’s of Goulburn* was built in 1839; originally as the Goulburn Hotel, it was later renamed after its owner Nathan Mandelson. Mandelson’s Hotel was once regarded as the best accommodation outside of Sydney. It was in Mandelson’s Ballroom where local businessmen met to establish the Sydney Railway Co. The building was home to the first Telegraph Station, as well as the first to be lit by gas in Goulburn.

You will walk along Sloane Street towards Belmore Park with the first stop being the Southern Railway Hotel.

Built by James Clifford in 1869 the Southern Railway Hotel (1869) is one of the original 73 inns* in Goulburn that has maintained much of its old-world charm. The balcony over the footpath is also one of the few original verandas still remaining in the City.

From here you will cross Sloane Street to visit the Goulburn Railway Station.

The railways were of enormous importance to Goulburn.* They provided employment to our early residents and a safe, comfortable option for transportation to Sydney. The foundation stone of the Railway Station was laid on 12 May 1868 and the line was officially opened just over a year later. Since then, only minimal alterations have been made to the building.

You then cross back over Sloane Street making your way further to the next stop, the Alpine Heritage Motel.

The Alpine Heritage Motel survives as the old accommodation wing of the Goulburn Coffee Palace, a hotel that did not serve alcohol. Coffee Palaces were built across the country as part of the temperance movement, encouraging people to abstain from alcohol.

From here you will continue onto the Argyle Emporium.

The building that houses the Argyle Emporium was Goulburn’s old Police Station. Inside, the original gaol cells remain. Due to Goulburn’s rapid growth in the 1870s, this building proved inadequate, so the third and current courthouse was built.