Palace Hotel Camberwell: Verified Facts, Sources & What’s Unclear

Palace Hotel Camberwell occupies a corner site on Burke Road in Melbourne’s inner east, and the venue’s own website says the hotel has traded under that name since 1888. This article pulls the venue’s verified details — address, phone number, listed hours, reported renovation cost and event-space claims — from the hotel’s own pages and local editorial guides, then flags what remains unconfirmed. You’ll finish with a practical fact base for a visit, a booking or a publication pitch.

Last checked: 2026-10-05

Address: 893 Burke Rd, Camberwell VIC 3124 · Phone: +61 3 9813 3566 · Website: www.palacecamberwell.com.au · Heritage listing: Victorian Heritage Database entry

• 1888 — the year the hotel’s own website says the venue first operated.
• 10:00 am – 3:00 am — the daily opening and closing times listed on the official website.
• +61 3 9813 3566 — the phone number published on the venue’s contact page.
• A$7.5 million — the renovation investment reported by Australian Good Food Guide.

What is the latest verified information about Palace Hotel Camberwell?

The core facts are simple. The hotel’s official website lists the street address as 893 Burke Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, and the contact page gives the phone number as +61 3 9813 3566. The same official pages list a daily opening time of 10:00 am and a closing time of 3:00 am.

On heritage, the venue’s own website says the hotel has operated since 1888. A local editorial guide — A Guide to Palace Hotel Camberwell — dates the opening more specifically to 30 July 1888. That guide is also the source for the claim that the building was originally a 43-room hotel.

The bottom line: the core contact details and listed hours are established by the venue itself, while the exact 1888 opening date rests on a local-editorial source rather than a primary heritage register.

What should readers know first about Palace Hotel Camberwell?

Palace Hotel Camberwell is presented across its official pages as a pub with a street-level bar and a separate function space. A Tagvenue listing describes live music, a dance floor and event capacity, while the official contact page says the hotel hosts local functions.

Reported function spaces

A Naboo venue listing reports that Josephine’s Lounge can hold up to 300 standing guests. The same listing names a room called the 1888 Room with a reported capacity of 80 standing or 20 boardroom-style. Naboo also lists Josephine’s Den and a Green Room for smaller events.

Weekly specials from a local directory

EatDrinkCheap lists a Monday steak-night special — a 250-gram rump with chips and salad for $25 — and a Thursday parma-and-pint deal for $30. The same listing reports Wednesday trivia at 7:30 pm. These are directory claims rather than confirmed menus, so check before travelling.

Renovation and heritage investment

Australian Good Food Guide reports a $7.5 million renovation over an 11-month period. The same article describes a modernised dining room and public bar. A separate Camberwell Shopping post, Welcome to the Brand New Palace Hotel, covers the reopening but does not disclose the cost.

The trade-off: the venue’s own pages are reliable for opening hours and contact details, but event-capacity and specials figures come from third-party directories that may not be current.

Which official sources confirm key claims about Palace Hotel Camberwell?

For a piece built on attributed claims, the hierarchy matters. The venue’s own homepage is the strongest source for the 1888 claim, the daily 10:00 am–3:00 am hours and the Burke Road address. The official contact page confirms the phone number and the community-meeting-place positioning.

What local editorial and trade sources add

A Camberwell Shopping guide supplies the more precise 30 July 1888 opening date and the original 43-room detail. Australian Good Food Guide contributes the $7.5 million renovation figure. Neither source overrides the venue’s own pages; they add texture and a sharper heritage timeline.

What third-party directories contribute

EatDrinkCheap, Naboo, Tagvenue and TripAdvisor are useful for details the hotel’s own pages do not publish — event capacities, specials and the note that the pub sits across the road from Camberwell railway station. A TripAdvisor listing makes that station-adjacent point. These sources are directional, not definitive.

What this means: the official pages carry the load for facts you can safely describe as “listed”. The local guide and trade press add colour. Directory figures should always carry a reported-figure label.

What is still unclear or unverified about Palace Hotel Camberwell?

• No primary government or heritage-register record was located in the available sources confirming the 30 July 1888 opening date.
• The $7.5 million renovation figure is reported by Australian Good Food Guide but not independently documented by planning records or the venue’s owner.
• The official website does not publish function-capacity numbers; those figures come from Naboo and Tagvenue.
• Weekly specials on EatDrinkCheap may change without notice; the site lists a Monday $25 rump special, a Thursday $30 parma-and-pint deal and Wednesday 7:30 pm trivia.
• Accessibility details were not found in any of the reviewed sources.

The catch: the strongest sources are the venue’s own pages, and they say nothing about capacities, accessibility or weekly specials. Those details exist only in third-party directories, which means a responsible publication should attribute them rather than state them as fact.

“The Palace Hotel is Camberwell’s crown jewel.”

— Palace Hotel Camberwell, Official venue website

“The Palace Hotel is your go-to for events and functions, big or small.”

— Palace Hotel Camberwell, Official venue website

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