Hello

I'm Frances. Thank you for stopping by.

I write non-fiction with a narrative flair.

Putting life on the page is how I like to think of it. My stories trace the people and experiences that have had a profound impact on me, and on others. I believe we have to understand where we have been in order to know where we are going, and why.

The act of recording these stories; of finding the right words so I can inject all the colour and richness they deserve, has been pure joy.

If you pick up one of my books, I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have loved putting life on the page.

Frances

The Accidental Publican

🍺 47 stories

🍺 characters that leap off the page

🍺 an eye into the rough & tumble of pub-life

🍺 an outback Queensland of days gone by

‘This isn’t just the story of any outback pub; it’s the tale of the iconic Hotel Corones, a fixture of south west Queensland. And it isn’t about just any woman – this is the remarkable journey of Frances Harding, a once-shy city nursing student turned resilient publican, whose courage and determination helped her thrive in the demanding world of running a historic hotel.'

Angie Faye Martin, author of Melaleuca

Join me for the launch

The Brisbane launch for The Accidental Publican will be held on Saturday 14 June at the Kakowan Community Facility in Bunya.

I'd love for you to join me for this free event.

You can reserve your seat here.

Tea, coffee & cake will be served.

The Accidental Australians

The story behind one of outback Queensland’s most famous tourist destinations — Hotel Corones

The Accidental Australians was released in October 2018.

It documents the hotel known as the ‘Taj Mahal on the Warrego’ and the extraordinary men who built it — Greek migrants Harry and Jimmy Corones.

In 1907, after a plan to seek out opportunity in America had come undone, 22 year-old Harry Corones and his 11-year-old nephew Jimmy arrived in Australia. Two years later, on the promise of a job running a small cafe, that they stepped off the Western Mail train in the town of Charleville, 747 kilometres west of Brisbane.

Harry began building Hotel Corones in 1924. The opulent building, running the length of an entire block in the main street of town, was like nothing outback Queensland — or outback Australia for

that matter — had ever seen.

My husband Gordon and I owned and ran the hotel from 1985 to 2001. Early in our time as owners I became captivated by Harry and Jimmy's story and set about collecting newspaper clippings, anecdotes, and oral history that would help me write The Accidental Australians.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse

The Accidental Publican

Join me for the launch

The Accidental Australians

©️Frances Harding 2025