From 1855 until 1922, buying alcohol on Sundays from licensed premises in Perth was illegal, unless you were a bona fide traveller or lodger.
In 1922, a licensing amendment allowed hotels that were 20 miles or more from the Perth Town Hall, as the crow flies, to sell alcohol for a few hours on Sundays.
Some of these premises were located in the Shire of Mundaring. The Oxford Inn, the Lion Mill Hotel, and the Sawyer’s Valley Hotel became attractive destinations for a Sunday afternoon outing – especially with WA’s growing car culture. These hotels advertised their special status, as shown in the above image.
By the 1950s, these locations were described as holding ‘Sunday Sessions’, with many Perth locals travelling to the fringes of the Metropolitan area to enjoy a drink.
In 1962 the Licensing Act was again amended. The restrictive nature of Sunday trading, it was argued by some politicians, disadvantaged three local hotels that were just inside the 20-mile radius; the Mundaring Hotel, the Parkerville Hotel, and the Mundaring Weir Hotel. Changes meant that venues that were 20 miles or more by road from the Perth Town Hall could now open on Sundays. Emphasis was also placed on the tourism benefits of this change.
In 1925 the Lion Mill Hotel was renamed the Mount Helena tavern after competition ran at a local school chose the name Mount Helena for the town ship known then as Lion Mill .
In 1973 The Oxford Inn was known as The Chidlow Inn Tavern and in 1984 simply The Chidlow Tavern.
Today why not let Perth Hills Mountain Bike Tours retrace the footsteps of the early pioneer’s but using the luxury of E-Bikes , This gentle 23 Kilometre ride takes starts off at the Mount Helens Tavern and heads up the old railway heritage trail before heading onto a bush trail coming into the back of Lake Leschenaultia . After a Short break at the lake we ride across to the town ship of Chidlow and in to the Chidlow Tavern for your first refreshment stop.
Continiuing on we head back towards Mount Helena using the railway trail and Kep Track , riding along the great steel pipeline that moves a commodity that is more precious than gold to the people of the GoldFields (Water) and across to Swayers Valley where we make our second refreshment stop at the Sawyers Valley Tavern.
Once rehydrated we head back along the railway trail to the Mount Helena Tavern (or “The Mounties ” as known by the locals ) This is the final stop and the end of our tour.
Mount Helena Tavern
Meet and greet at 10.30am , Start riding at 11.00am.
Fantastic bush trail close to the city with plenty of opportunities to stop along the way!
This trail is a good introduction to off road cycling . Keep an eye out and you may see the odd Kangaroo. Some singletrack action on a Giant MountainE-Bike! The trail also acts a nature corridor for the local wildlife to coexist in an urban area – this is special!
