Bridge Hotel Echuca

From the Heritage Advisory Committee Plaque:
BRIDGE HOTEL
'As this is already known to be the best hotel outside Melbourne, further comment is unnecessary' wrote the owner Henry Hopwood, following the construction of the Bridge Hotel in 1858. Licensed early the following year, it was built to capture the passing trade of those using his nearby pontoon bridge and punt to cross the Murray. The hotel was delicensed in 1915, in response to the long-term decline in the river trade and was a residence when purchased by Evan Bros., who used part as an office for their sawmill across the road.