About Us
We are located in the historic building of Troopers Rest. Built in 1840, Trooper’s Rest is one of Braidwood’s oldest and most historically significant buildings. It was first licensed in 1845 by John Daffarn, who had previously operated the Dog and Style Hotel in Queanbeyan. Bringing the name with him to Braidwood, Daffarn faced early legal troubles for selling alcohol before his licence was formally granted—a common challenge on the colonial frontier.
Soon after, the venue was renamed the Prince of Wales Inn, and by 1853, under publican Peter Stewart, it had become a key social hub for travellers, townsfolk, and goldfield workers alike. Its location was no coincidence—next door stood the original Braidwood Police Station, and across the nearby creek lay the Police Paddock, where horses were kept for mounted troopers. Throughout the mid to late 1800s, the inn became a popular drinking place for police troopers, a tradition that would later inspire its present-day name.
The site was also central to the gold escort network that operated between Araluen, Major’s Creek, and Braidwood during the height of the gold rush. From 1865 to 1885, the Golden Times Coach regularly departed from the venue, carrying gold bullion, cash, and armed police escorts to connect with stagecoaches heading to Goulburn and Queanbeyan. These escorts were heavily protected—usually consisting of a professional driver, armed troopers on and around the coach, and safes bolted to the carriage floor.
The area was not without danger. In March 1865, the infamous bushrangers Ben Hall and Tom Clarke joined forces to ambush the gold escort coach as it climbed the hill to Major’s Creek. The coach carried a large sum of gold belonging to Araluen gold buyer John Huxham Blatchford, who was on board. A vicious fight broke out—four troopers bravely defended the coach, with Constable Kelly wounded in the attack. Blatchford ran back to Araluen to raise the alarm, and Inspector Orridge rode from the temporary police barracks at Tidmarsh in Braidwood to assist. The bushrangers ultimately fled into the bush, but the attack underscored the lawlessness and danger of the time—and the critical role this building played in it all.
Over the decades, the building evolved—serving as a hotel, private residence, and meeting place. In 1980, Cheryl and John Durst opened a restaurant here called Torphys, which became one of the region’s most prominent dining venues, regularly hosting politicians and well-known figures. Later, it became known as Torpeas under new owners.
By 2020, the building was in disrepair and underwent major renovations by Alley and Nick Kemp, who carefully restored original features including convict-made brick fireplaces, timber doors, and wooden floorboards. Upon reopening, the venue was renamed Trooper’s Rest, paying tribute to the police troopers who once gathered here and the building’s deep connection to law, order, and local history.
Today, Trooper’s Rest continues to serve as a welcoming place for locals and travellers alike—rich with stories, heritage, and nearly two centuries of history.
We are a veteran owned and operated business and are always focused on supporting the community of Braidwood and other good causes. Our 70 years of combined maritime service made the nautical theme of our name and label a natural choice. We have a passion for crafting exceptional quality Whisky, Gin, Vodka and Liqueurs. We remain true to our craft with every production process completed by hand, from preparing ingredients for a distillation to writing and labelling our bottles to ready them for our customers.
Our still is a 500L, four stage Column Still named Johne. Its hybrid heating system gives us the option of using either direct steam or an electric water bath to heat its three elements. Both options create a balanced & uniform heat map around the boiler, eliminating the issue of burning or scalding of botanicals and wash that plagues traditional pot stills.
This in turn creates a better extraction of flavour from the botanicals and allows us to have a unique product profile. It also gives us exceptional fusion of flavour with our spirit, producing fuller-bodied, deliciously aromatic gins.
Our approach is unique in that it takes cues from a variety of distilling methodologies from around the world, fusing their best attributes to form a hybrid process that works to our strengths. We focus on sourcing the best produce from Australia and, when we can't get the best stuff here, internationally. Our distilling process is Scottish while our approach to blending is Japanese.
Origin of the name 'Hold Fast'
HOLD FAST
Verb:
- to bear down, stay the course
- continue to believe in or adhere to an idea or principle “when times get tough one needs to Hold Fast and ride it out”
Synonyms:
To stay strong, do what is right, see it through, no surrender, stay true, continue to believe, this too shall pass, grit it out.
'Hold Fast' is a nautical term that has its origins from the Dutch word “houd vast” which translate to “Hold Tight” in regards to holding securely to ships ropes and rigging.
Throughout history, sailors have tattooed these 8 letters onto their knuckles to remind them that they can get through any storm as long as they hold fast both physically and mentally.
