October 19th, 2026Our past stories

With history enthusiast Natalie Poole

Robin Hood Hotel, Musk Creek

John Harrington was born 1826 in Donegal, Ireland to John and Mary Harrington.

He was the fourth child of seven children. He married Mary Guerin in 1861 in Ireland.

John and a pregnant Mary embarked on board the ship Henry Fernie on September 9, 1862. Mary gave birth at sea to a son Mathew Henry (1862) who died aged six days. They arrived at Port Phillip on December 24, 1862, and it appears they must have settled in the Williamstown area.

They went on to have nine more children after Mathew: Daniel (1864) and John (1865) both born in Williamstown, then Mary (1870), Catherine (1872), Ellen (1874), Timothy (1876), William (1877), George (1881) and Hannah (1884), all born in the Daylesford district.

Daylesford

The family had arrived in the Daylesford area around 1866 and were residing at Smiths Creek near Cornish Hill. John and Mary then took up land at Italian Hill in Daylesford and started pig farming. Their final move came when they purchased the hotel at Musk Creek in 1870.

The Robin Hood Hotel was a weatherboard hotel with an iron roof. It contained 11 rooms, stables and sheds and the half-hectare block was enclosed by a picket fence and surrounded by gardens according to John’s will. The Mount Alexander Mail of October 21, 1876 states John Harrington of Musk Creek was the publican.

Court appearances

John’s name appeared in the Victorian Petty Sessions a couple of times while he was the publican. Once, in 1893, he pleaded guilty and was fined for failing to “have every door by which admission is gained to the bar on the licenced premises Robin Hood Hotel shut and locked at the hour of 9.15pm”.

Another time in 1903, he appeared for unlawfully omitting to cut a beer duty stamp in two or more pieces contrary to the Act. He was fined £2.

Death of John

John served as the publican for 35 years and passed away in 1905 aged 79 years. His wife Mary took over the running of the hotel for almost 10 years until she became ill in November 1914.

She had sudden heart failure and could no longer undertake her publican duties. It was at this time she chose to surrender her licence.

The Age, dated November 16, 1914 states the Licences Reduction Board accepted a surrender of the licence of the Robin Hood Hotel, Musk Creek in the licensing district of Franklin, “of which Mrs Mary Harrington is owner and licensee, and directed that the hotel be closed as from 31st December next”. The application was made by Messrs. Maddock, Lonie and Bromfield, solicitors Daylesford.

Death of Mary

Mary Harrington died three days later. She had lived in Musk Creek at the hotel for a total of 44 years and had been a colonist in Victoria for 52 years. Her estate was awarded £225 for the surrender of the hotel licence in December 1914. Her adult family was left to mourn her passing.

Musk or Musk Creek?

According to a quick search, Musk Creek is a small rural waterway and locality name near Musk, Victoria, located about seven kilometres southeast of Daylesford in the Hepburn Shire.

Location: The area sits just a short 7-minute drive from central Daylesford, close to the Wombat State Forest and Wombat Bushland Reserves.

History: Originally, local landmarks and the school opened in 1872 as Musk Creek before the name was shortened to Musk in 1968. Musk Creek Post Office opened around March 1879, was renamed Musk in 1937 and closed in 1974.

Bottom image: Find A Grave Daylesford Cemetery From the Daylesford Advocate, Yandoit, Glenlyon and Eganstown Chronicle, dated November 19, 1914