The Australian pub is one of our most enduring and prominent cultural symbols.
But the local country pub has always been much more than a place to soak your whistle, serving as the vital center of social life for people living hundreds of miles from the nearest big city.
Tanya Luckins, a historian at La Trobe University and co-author of The Australian Pub, said small border towns in the early days of settlement often had a pub before anything else.
“The rural pub also functioned as a post office, bank, Cobb & Co station, and sometimes the morgue,” Dr. Luckins said.
“Most people did not have access to cheap or reliable refrigeration until the 1950s.
“The pub became a great place to go, have a cold drink and catch up on all the local news.”
There are 1,251 licensed pubs in Queensland, with the Nindigully Pub and Farmers Arms in Cabarlah, both in southern Queensland, claiming to be the oldest in the state.
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Queensland’s historic pubs have stood the test of time, but like other tourist sites, they have faced the challenges of blockades, natural disasters and the lack of international visitors.
Pubs sold 40 million pints less beer between July and September 2021 than during the same period in 2019, according to figures from the Australian Tax Office.
So while we enjoy unrestricted travel again, the regional communities are waiting for tourists to stop for a pint, experience its charm, and hear stories from the past.
The Nindigully Pub claims to be the oldest hotel in Queensland that is still in its original location. (Photography: Sean Scott Photography)
Nindigully Pub
Queensland’s oldest pub is still a hotly debated topic, but the Nindigully Pub is claiming the title.
“Nindigilly Pub is Queensland’s oldest hotel in its original condition and location,” said owner Steven Burns, who bought the pub in 2002.
On the banks of the Moonie River near St George in Balonne County, The Gully received a liquor license in 1864.
It originally served as shear housing for Nindigully Station and has been used as a Cobb and Co. station since the late 19th century.
Despite its nine-year-old population, the pub attracts a steady stream of tourists who demand what it says are Australia’s largest burgers.
Peasant Arms Tavern
The Farmers Arms Tavern in Cabarlah, north of Toowoomba, is proud to be the longest licensed pub in Queensland.
Licensed in 1863, over the years the pub has been a home, a shop and even a part of the local prison.
The original Farmers Arms Hotel, on top of the hill (circa 1876 to 1902). (Provided by: Linda Galligan)
Local historian Linda Galligan said there was ambiguity about when the pub opened and then reopened.
“We have no evidence of this license or first owner, as it is really difficult to get details of the licenses at that time,” he said.
“In 1902, the old Farmers Arms Hotel [at the top of the hill] it was burned and in 1904 a new Farmers Arms was authorized for the building at its current location.
“There were at least 14 pubs in the area at one time and there is some confusion about which pubs had which license as many licenses were bought and sold, but not the buildings.”
Hotel Birdsville
There are not many places to park the plane in front and walk on a schooner.
William Blair built the Birdsville Hotel on the edge of the Simpson Desert in 1884 and is arguably Queensland’s most famous inland pub.
It has endured a lot in its time: fires, drought, floods, even a cyclone in 2020.
These days, Birdsville has a semi-permanent population of just over 100, but every year the city swells as people flock to Birdsville races and Big Red Bash.
The interior of the Birdsville Hotel is as iconic as the exterior of the pub. (ABC News: Gary Ticehurst)
“The Birdsville Hotel is in the middle of nowhere,” Dr. Luckins said.
“But it gets thousands of visitors every year because it’s such an iconic and important local pub.”
If you ever go to the pub, you’ll find hundreds of hats nailed to the roof of the pub.
“It’s just an invitation. It’s a sign of respect for the people who have returned to the Birdsville community,” said hotel manager Ben Fullagar.
Hotel Betoota
In a city with a population of zero, reopening the Betoota hotel was a brave move.
The hotel between Birdsville and Windorah was empty for more than 23 years until Robert “Robbo” Haken of Brisbane bought it in 2017 after tripping over the abandoned trough on a road trip.
“We had to completely destroy the place,” Robbo recalled.
“The dining room was covered in so much dirt, we thought it was a dirt floor. We didn’t realize it was a wooden floor.”
The Betoota hotel reopened. (ABC News: Elaine Ford)
Robbo finally opened its doors in early 2020, but then hit COVID-19 and soon had to close.
The pub is now open full time.
Fall of the lions
The Lion’s Den Hotel opened in Cape York in the 1880s and was named after a nearby tin mine.
The Den, as locals know it, is 30 miles south of Cooktown on Bloomfield’s unsealed track and proudly announces that it “has no mobile reception or internet.”
“I love that it’s not in a city; the people who come here are genuine people who like to learn a little about history and spend a few days,” said owner Judy Fry.
“The building is still original, the floors are still original and the place still tells a story.”
The Lions Den Hotel, south of Cooktown, is one of the oldest pubs in Queensland. (Supplied by Tourism Tropical North Queensland)
Hotel Blue Heeler
Originally established in 1889, the Kynuna Hotel between Cloncurry and Winton in northwest Queensland was renamed the Blue Heeler Hotel in 1963.
It is a pub laden with Australian folklore.
“Banjo Paterson performed Waltzing Matilda for the first time in the pub,” said local historian Kenny Jackson.
“It is also claimed that the squatters and the herd drank their last drinks at the bar.”
There is also a brick fireplace built by RM Williams and graphite is encouraged in the Blue Heeler – you can sign your name on the walls by making a donation to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The Blue Heeler Hotel is where Banjo Paterson first recited Waltzing Matilda. (Supplied by: Blue Heeler Hotel)
Walkabout Creek Hotel
The Federal Hotel was built in McKinlay in Queensland in 1900.
After Crocodile Dundee was filmed nearby, the owners changed it to the Walkabout Creek Hotel to take advantage of the 1980s film.
Frank and Debbie Wurst bought the hotel in 2014.
“The pub was too small to be filmed inside. They built a set around the corner and named it the Walkabout Creek Hotel,” Debbie said.
“You can still see the movie bar set in the back shed.”
The Walkabout Creek Hotel is famous for appearing in the movie Crocodile Dundee. (ABC News: Candice Marshall)