Welcome to Annie's

Greeting our guests for 120 years

The original deeds for the building now occupied by Annie’s refer to “Brisbane, Colony of NSW, 1857”.  And so it was, within the first 20 years of Brisbane being declared a free settlement, and two years before Queensland was proclaimed a separate colony, the history of Annie’s begun. 

Even though the population of Brisbane at the time was less than 1 000, there was attention given to all facets of life, with both the Moreton Bay Race Club and the Supreme Court established. There were even swimming baths built on the river, only to be washed away a month after opening: and also opening the book of Brisbane’s long story with it’s name sake river. 

The baths were re-opened shortly after, declaring the confidence and determination of a rapidly developing settlement.

It was with this same spirit, that late in the1880s two sisters only recently arrived were successful in convincing a bank to loan them some money. The two sisters,  Annie Hanrahan and her sister Jane, the ancestors of the current owners of Annie’s, took a lease to run a guest house. Annie and Jane had just emigrated from Ireland, no doubt inspiring the choice of name for their new business:”Shandon”.  

Welcome to Annie’s Shandon Inn.