AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY: TFE Hotels will launch a 12-month centenary celebration for Hotel Kurrajong Canberra on 23 December 2026, marking 100 years of hospitality in the nation’s capital. Designed by Chief Commonwealth Architect J.S. Murdoch, who also designed Old Parliament House, the hotel opened in December 1926 as Canberra took shape around it. Originally known as Hostel No. 2, it was built to accommodate politicians and public servants relocating from Melbourne to establish the new capital.
Over the century that followed, Hotel Kurrajong became part of Canberra’s political and social fabric. It accommodated officials and members of the press attending the opening of Parliament House in 1927 and later became a longstanding home for Members of Parliament, their families, and public servants.
Among its best-known residents was former Australian Prime Minister Ben Chifley, who lived at the hotel throughout his parliamentary career, including his term as Prime Minister from 1945 to 1949. His former room, Room 205, is now Room 214 and was restored in 1995 to reflect its appearance during his residence.
The hotel’s story has unfolded alongside that of the capital itself. It hosted MPs and their families during the 1954 Royal Visit by Queen Elizabeth II and welcomed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip again in 2000. At other points, the building served as government offices and a hotel management school before returning to its original purpose.
The heritage-listed property was fully restored and reopened in 2014 through a joint venture between NRMA and TFE Hotels. The following year, then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott officially opened the TFE- and NRMA-owned hotel. Today, the hotel retains its garden pavilion design and much of the original planting laid out by Superintendent of Parks and Gardens Thomas Charles Weston. Its interiors bring together Art Deco character, contemporary comforts and reminders of the people and events that have shaped the building.
Guests can discover this history throughout the hotel, from Chifley’s Bar & Grill and the restored Room 214 to two suites named for former prime ministers Ben Chifley and Malcolm Turnbull. The lobby also features a four-by-five-metre rug designed by Oscar-winning designer Catherine Martin.
“For 100 years, Hotel Kurrajong has been woven into the story of Canberra,” said Area General Manager Jay Hore. “From its beginnings as accommodation for the politicians and public servants building a new national capital to its role as a home away from home for generations of parliamentarians, the hotel has witnessed many of the moments that have shaped Australia.”
“As we celebrate our centenary milestone, we’re inviting guests to experience that history for themselves. Hotel Kurrajong remains a place where heritage and contemporary hospitality come together, connecting visitors with the stories, people and events that have helped define both the hotel and the capital over the past century.”
Hotel Kurrajong Canberra’s centenary year will begin on 23 December 2026.
EVENT: Hotel Kurrajong Serves Up a Century of Stories with New 100 Year High Tea
As part of the 100th birthday celebrations, Hotel Kurrajong Canberra is inviting guests to step back into the decade when it all began with a new Centenary High Tea & Stories of the Twenties experience.
Running on 17 October, 21 November and 19 December, the immersive afternoon combines a 1920s-inspired high tea, a bespoke centenary tea blend created with The Tea Centre and stories from Canberra’s formative years, shared by historian and storyteller Elizabeth Burness.
Guests will enjoy a special menu featuring savoury classics including mini beef Wellingtons, smoked salmon brioche and prawn vol-au-vents, alongside sweet treats such as whisky chocolate mousse, lemon meringue tart, and mascarpone scones with raspberry jam.
Throughout the event, Elizabeth Burness will bring the stories of the 1920s to life, exploring the optimism, change and ambition that defined the decade and helped shape Canberra and Hotel Kurrajong’s early years.
The nitty-gritty: The Centenary High Tea & Stories of the Twenties will be held from 12.00pm to 2.00pm on Saturday 17 October, Saturday 21 November and Saturday 19 December. Guests can enjoy a curated high tea experience, historical storytelling, a glass of sparkling wine on arrival and a bespoke centenary tea blend created with The Tea Centre. Tickets are $95 per adult and $59 per child. Places are limited and bookings can be made at https://www.trybooking.com/DPLBK
About Elizabeth Burness: With a background in museum education and more than two decades spent collecting antique clothing and ephemera, Elizabeth Burness is renowned for making history accessible, engaging, and entertaining.
Her particular passion for the 1920s provides a unique lens through which guests can discover the people, culture and defining moments that shaped Canberra’s earliest years and Hotel Kurrajong’s remarkable story.
FOR GUESTS STAYING: Here’s cheers to 100 years!
As Hotel Kurrajong Canberra marks 100 years of stories, the heritage property is raising a glass to its past, present and future with The Centenary, a signature cocktail created exclusively for the milestone. Served at Chifley’s Bar & Grill, the cocktail celebrates a century of history through four distinctly Australian flavours, each representing a defining era in the hotel’s evolution. Crafted with Archie Rose Lemon Scented Gum Gin, refined Lillet Blanc, native Lemon Myrtle, and a finishing note of Honey & Eucalyptus, The Centenary is both a tribute to the hotel’s legacy and a reflection of contemporary Australian craftsmanship.
Designed as a layered expression of place and time, Archie Rose Lemon Scented Gum Gin forms the foundation, honouring the hotel’s beginnings in the 1920s. Lillet Blanc evokes the elegance of the political era, when Hotel Kurrajong became home to statesmen, policymakers and diplomacy, while native Lemon Myrtle captures Canberra’s emergence as a city with its own identity.
Honey & Eucalyptus delivers a warm, grounding finish, symbolising a heritage destination that has endured and evolved across generations. One cocktail. Four eras. One century of stories.
Alongside The Centenary, guests can also enjoy Benny’s Double, the hotel’s much-loved birthday cocktail and a tribute to former Prime Minister Ben Chifley, one of Hotel Kurrajong’s most famous residents. Originally created to celebrate the hotel’s 94th birthday, the cocktail has become an annual tradition, featuring Johnnie Walker Gold Label, Luxardo and orange bitters, finished with delicate 23-carat gold leaf. Its story mirrors the spirit of celebration itself, drawing inspiration from blending notes first written in the 1920s by Alexander Walker to commemorate Johnnie Walker’s centenary, before finally being brought to life decades later.
