Spirit of Woombye’s speak-easy tradition lives on at distillery

A toast to Sarah and Maria ...  founders Matt Hobson, left, and Michael Conrad drink to CAVU Distilling Co’s copper stills, pictured in the background.

Two lovely ladies, full of alcohol, are gracing the premises at Woombye’s CAVU Distilling and there’s a great story behind them.

Sarah and Maria are impressive copper stills producing alcohol that goes into Sunshine & Sons rum, gin and vodka bottled at the Big Pineapple facility. They are named after the wife and mother of Cobbs Camp’s first hotelier James Costar.

Costar acquired a 20-acre homestead selection in June 1869 and erected accommodation for travellers. Cobb’s Camp, later renamed Woombye, was the half-way point between Brisbane and Gympie. Costar submitted an application for a Publican’s License for the sale of Fermented and Spirituous Liquors, under the Sign of Nil Desperandum at Cobb’s Camp. Nil Desperandum is latin for “nothing to be despaired of”.

“If you translate Nil Desperandum to modern Australian it means no worries,” said Sunshine and Sons co-founder Matt Hobson. “So we think that is the perfect association for a distillery of Australia’s best gin, vodka and rum.”

Michael said there was great historic value in the story which captured an adventurous spirit and an association with Woombye.

“Nil Desperandum was a speak-easy,” he said. “Costar never had a licence at first. The story goes that he went to Brisbane to apply for one but the constabulary objected because he was a sly grogger. But the judge sided with him because it was in the public interest. I guess he thought ‘if we don’t give them a liquor licence they are going to keep sly grogging anyway — might as well make it legal’.”

Unfortunately for the Costar family  were a few worries down the track. 

Cobb and Co quickly built their own eight-bedroom hotel and store in 1871, licenced as ‘Cobbs Camp Hotel’ putting them out of business.

Thankfully for local drinkers, Sunshine & Sons are on a firmer footing, especially after recently coming in at number 10 in Australia’s prestigious Top 100 Hottest Gins. 

They also claimed number 48 in the Top 100 Spirits – both voted by consumers.

“This was wonderful news for the distillery which we are expecting to grow and to help grow the standing of Woombye for people who may not be aware of this part of the world,” Matt said.

History

Woombye began as ‘Cobb’s Camp’ in the early 1870s. 

Cobb’s Camp was established by Cobb & Co, which ran a coach service between Brisbane and the Gympie goldfields in late 1867. By the end of 1868 Cobb and Co coaches were travelling three times a week between the two locations.

James Costar acquired a 20-acre (8 hectare) homestead selection in June 1869 and erected accommodation for travellers. 

The name Cobb’s Camp was considered unsuitable by the government as there were already many places with that name. 

So it was renamed Woombye for the black myrtle trees which grew locally.