Cue's banks arrived almost as quickly as the prospectors.

The rush for Murchison gold created an immediate need for banking. The Western Australian Bank established itself in Cue during the early gold-rush years, first operating from temporary premises before investing in a substantial permanent branch on Austin Street.

The surviving stone bank opened in June 1900. Designed by prominent Western Australian architect John Talbot Hobbs, it was built not simply as an office but as a banking chamber, gold office, strongroom and residence — a building designed for a town handling extraordinary mineral wealth.

Banking chamber, gold office, strongroom — and a home out the back.

Newspaper descriptions of the new bank reveal just how substantial it was intended to be. The building included a banking chamber, gold office, strongroom, manager's office, bedrooms, sitting room, kitchen and bathroom accommodation.

Most of the walls were built from stone quarried around Cue, while the stone used for the window sills and doorsteps was brought all the way from Melbourne. Sydney cedar was specified for the internal banking fittings.

The result was both practical and deliberately impressive: a permanent financial institution in a town whose economy had only existed for a few years.

The Shire bought it back — then undid decades of change.

The Shire first purchased the former bank in 1978. It was later sold in 1996 and used as a private residence, during which time a number of alterations were made to the historic fabric.

In 2019 the Shire of Cue repurchased the building with the aim of restoring it and returning it to a public and commercial use. Conservation work followed heritage plans prepared specifically for the site, including removal of unsympathetic alterations and reinstatement of missing traditional details.

By 2025 the restoration and renovation had transformed the building again, revealing the local stonework and preparing the old bank for its next chapter on Austin Street.

The former bank is currently available for lease.

The restored building has been prepared for a new commercial life as a café/restaurant, bakery, reception or function venue, with the heritage banking spaces forming part of the customer experience.

The Shire has fitted the property with new commercial kitchen equipment and the venue has capacity for up to 100 guests across indoor and outdoor areas. Planning approval also allows restaurant/café, reception centre and shop uses.

Instead of preserving the bank as a building people can only look at, the aim is to put people back inside it — eating, meeting, celebrating and helping activate the heart of Austin Street.

Right in the middle of Austin Street.

The former Western Australian Bank stands at 64 Austin Street, on the corner of Darlot Street, within easy walking distance of the Government Buildings, Rotunda, Shire Office and other major heritage sites.