The settlement of Kerry in Queensland

Kerry is a farming locality between Beaudesert and the Lamington National Park.

Kerry Road was the track to the Lamington National Park and a primary school opened in 1884 (it closed in 1943), the Kerry Bridge Hotel opened around 1905 (it ceased trading in 1974), and a post office in 1927 (it closed in 1939). The Lamington National Park was declared in 1915 and Bernard O’Reilly’s guest house opened in 1926.  Access to the guest house was by the Kerry Road.

This advertisement appeared in the Beaudesert Herald 23/09/1904 for the Hotel.

“Having now completed the erection and furnishing of the above Hostelry JT Dicks can offer the best accommodation to travellers and others. The Kerry Bridge Hotel will be found replete in every detail.

Mr Dicks will make an application for a license the next Licensing Court on 5th October” (JT (Tom) Dicks had the Kerry coach run at this time).

Licensees who later held the Kerry Bridge Hotel License were:

· Catherine Massie – 1905
· James Rafter – 1908
· Billy Berger – 1912
· Tom Power – 1913
· John Reilly Smith – 1924
· Richard Capron – 1944
· Percival Willmet – 1945

Other licensees after 1945 included Cliff White and Kevin Bowden. The last licensee was Lorrie Wilde (formerly Schipke).  She had the hotel from 1970 to 1974.

Guests of O’Reilly’s Guest House usually came by coach and stayed at the Kerry Bridge Hotel overnight before riding horses up the Stockyard Creek track accompanied by members of the O’Reilly’s family, to the Guest House.

The Kerry village had the Bridge Hotel, the primary school (about forty farms by 1949) and the St John’s Catholic Church and cemetery (now heritage listed.  (Bernard O’Reilly, the bushman and author is buried there).  The primary school and post office buildings are no longer visible, the hotel is a private residence and the church is still standing.

There are no other signs of the village’s existence.