Old Sir Joseph Banks Hotel, Heritage-listed former hotel in Botany, Australia

The Old Sir Joseph Banks Hotel is a stuccoed brick complex at 23 Anniversary Street, Botany, begun in 1840 as a two-storey Georgian building with flanking single-storey wings. A single-storey east wing with a curved facade and verandah followed about 1860, and a heavily ornamented Italianate two-storey north wing with parapets, cast iron verandahs and carved cedar interiors was added around 1870.

The building was constructed between 1840 and 1874 by Thomas Kellet and J. Drew, with additional wings added during the Victorian period. The architecture evolved over the decades as the structure underwent several modification phases.

The building served as a gathering place for the community during the 1800s, with gardens and recreational facilities that made it a social hub for local people. Residents would gather there regularly for events and leisure activities.

The hotel is located on Anniversary Street and is now a residential building, not open to the public like it was during its hotel years. You can view the exterior and appreciate its Victorian architectural details from the street.

The hotel's gardens held a traditional burial ground of the Kamaygal people, and several early colonial Kamaygal figures, including Mahroot, were buried there toward the beach. The graves lay within the pleasure grounds that drew weekend crowds in the 1850s.