Introduction: Walter’s Hotel, 1882

Abstract

In this chapter Taylor introduces the influence of local anti-alcohol policies of the temperance movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, using an 1882 incident at a hotel in Barkers Creek, central Victoria, as an illustration. Taylor suggests that the closure of all the hotels in Barkers Creek and neighboring Harcourt by the 1920s as a result of local temperance policies and groups reflects a larger story of legal and political change. The chapter introduces “local option” rights and controls of the temperance era, suggesting these smaller prohibitions have been overlooked and warrant re-examination in light of contemporary planning challenges. With international examples but focusing on Victoria, the structure of the “Dry Zones” book is outlined, seeking to offer a new perspective on the rise of democratic controls on alcohol, their influence on liquor licensing and early zoning ideas, and their legacies for cities and planning today.