Circa 1928 hotel: Albury's converted bank offering a goodnight's sleep

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Circa 1928 hotel: Albury's converted bank offering a goodnight's sleep

By Belinda Jackson
A room at Circa 1928.

A room at Circa 1928.

If you're "chucking a Deanie", you must be in Albury, tearing up the main street in your revved-up car. But if you're staying at Circa 1928, you won't know anything about it. In what could qualify as one of Australia's smallest hotels, there are just two suites in this newcomer, which is set on the main drag.

The 1928 Dean Street building has done its time as a Commonwealth Bank and even an underwear shop, but has been gutted and reformed with the two suites on the first floor, and five spa treatment rooms on the ground floor, next to the lobby.

Each suite features handmade, stained-glass windows that guarantee a rose-coloured view – without any less-than-atmospheric street noise – of the artistic NSW border town, which is on the North East Aboriginal Art Trail.

A bathroom at the hotel.

A bathroom at the hotel.

For full cultural immersion, each suite pays homage to an artist born in 1928: hoteliers Ririn and Kevin Yaxley chose Pro Hart and Andy Warhol as their muses. Spot the sculptural ants crawling up the walls of the Hart-inspired Dean Suite, or look up to spy the 22 sets of lips kissing their way across the ceiling of the Stanley Suite, which also includes original photographs of Warhol himself.

Circa 1928 also includes a shop selling arty finds, and the lobby features 15 Indigenous works, including contemporary artists Patrick Butcher and Jack Macale. Alternatively, the Yaxleys suggest a spa pit stop while on a wellness crawl from Melbourne to Canberra or Sydney. Using Australia's Li'Tya products, the signature spa treatment, "ratus", is a traditional Indonesian women's smoking treatment. Circa 1928 joins the small, stylish stable of Circa 1936 in the Riverina town of Corowa and Circa 1929 day spa in Wagga Wagga.

Stays cost from $375 a night including bed, breakfast, club lounge with evening drinks and platters, butler service and the in-suite minibar. See circahotels.com

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