The Clarence Hotel was built and designed in the late 1870's on the most visible corner in commercial Macaulay Road, under licensees such as George Clark and the Hardiman Family. Timothy Hardiman, a descendant from this family, owned the Clarence during it's rebirth as Hardimans Hotel in 1940-41, at an estimated cost of 6470 pounds.

Ocean liner shaped and equipped with portholes, the streamlined corner of this hotel apparently evolved during the permit application stages, immediately lifting the design from a conservative almost traditional 19th century form into the Moderne, so popular prior to World War II. A tiled dado, smooth stucco, steel framed windows and continuous horizontal lines in three and two dimensions, added to this fashionable stance.

Then on the 1st of January 1998, the new owners took over the running and the development of Hardimans Hotel. Consisting of just six stools, frosted glass windows with wire grates and gushing water in the cool room, the new owners did not quite realise the challenge they were setting themselves, not to mention the cost.

The renovations started off by removing the grates and existing windows and installing clear glass to the ground floor. This certainly created an impact in the community and provided plenty of discussion around the bar on the new bar stools.

The cool room was then replaced, the ceilings were stripped and painted and the floors were carpeted and polished, followed by the installation of the new bar. The original bottle shop has been converted into a pool room with large screen TV and music video's, while the whole bar has been equipped with cooling and heating systems, lighting and sound system and additional furniture. Upstairs has even been renovated and converted into a function room that caters for all occasions.

The Kitchen has been fully renovated and is now supplying high quality food at reasonable prices.

With the completion of the renovations and the combination of the friendly staff, it ensures that Hardimans is THE PLACE TO BE.