The Stag Public House
299 Rundle Street, Adelaide
The Stag Hotel, c.1910. Courtesy of the State Library of South Australia.
First licensed in 1849, the Stag Hotel is one of Adelaide’s oldest continuously operating hotels and has stood at the gateway to the East End for more than 175 years. In its earliest days, when East Terrace was little more than a rough track through the parklands, the hotel served travellers, stockmen and market traders, with its yards effectively operating as the original East End Market before a permanent market was established nearby.
The hotel was substantially rebuilt in 1903 following the construction of the Adelaide Fruit and Produce Exchange next door, creating larger and more modern facilities for the thousands of growers and merchants who gathered at the markets each morning. Designed by architects Garlick and Jackman, the rebuilt hotel introduced its distinctive corner turret, wraparound verandah and attic dormer windows, making it one of Rundle Street East’s most recognisable landmarks.
More than a century later, the Stag Hotel continues to occupy its prominent corner site, standing as a reminder of the East End’s transformation from Adelaide’s produce trading hub into the vibrant dining and entertainment precinct it is today.
