Outback Queensland's top watering holes

Who doesn’t love aN AUTHENTIC Outback pub experience? Having a yarn and a laugh over a beer at the bar with a local, tucking into some top pub grub, and laying your head to rest in a place where the past is almost palpable.

WORDS: Michelle Hepse PHOTOGRAPHY: Guy Wilkinson

Birdsville Hotel

Can you name a more iconic outback pub? Built in 1884, The Birdsville Hotel is a destination itself, standing on the edge of the Simpson Desert. Attracting visitors from across the globe, everyone wants to tick off having a beer at The Birdsville. The pub has its fair share of history, having endured floods, fires and cyclones, and it plays an important role in the settlement of Outback Queensland.

The Birdsville Hotel offers modern and comfortable accommodation, traditional pub food, ice-cold beverages and even a quality wine list. Whether you’re here for one of Birdsville’s iconic events or not, all year round you can take away the colourful outback stories and a true outback experience. And after all, how many pubs can you park both your car and plane in front of?

What to do nearby:

For a small town, Birdsville has plenty on offer. Watch the sunset from Big Red or take the family down to the Birdsville billabong to see the local wildlife. And if you haven’t indulged in a camel pie before, there’s no better place to try one for the first time than the Birdsville Bakery.

YARAKA HOTEL

The small town of Yaraka is located about 220km south of Longreach and is nestled against the Yang Yang Ranges, giving it a spectacular postcardworthy backdrop. The warm Outback hospitality of the family-run Yaraka Hotel is unmissable, just like the 360-degree views from nearby Mount Slowcombe. Enjoy great home-cooked meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days a week. The beer is cold, the bar is lively, and the small and friendly team are always up for a yarn.

The Yaraka Hotel has air-conditioned, budget accommodation, or for those with a campervan or caravan, powered sites are available for $3 a night only 100 metres from the pub. Don’t miss out on the Yaraka Hotel Sunset Trip to Mount Slowcombe, with the cost only being a donation to the Yaraka School Fund or the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

What to do nearby:

Trips can be arranged from the pub, taking you through the spectacular scenery and into the heart of the Yang Yang Range and taking you to sites including Magee's Shanty where Banjo Patterson is rumoured to have written A Bush Christening. Both tours take about 3.5 hours, and are $25 per person.

HOTEL CORONES CHARLEVILLE

After opening in 1929, the heritage-listed Hotel Corones still stands proudly today. The iconic outback pub has a hotel, motel, bar, bistro, bottle shop, dog wash and laundromat. Get a feel for the pub’s glory days on the Historical Tour, and hear the tales of the pub's past, as told by a guide from Charleville’s Visitor Information Centre. Enjoy an afternoon tea of scones, cream and jam after the tour, or head to the bar, which has a Roman mosaic floor and stained glass windows. The hotel has a range of accommodation options to suit all budgets, including 35 hotel rooms located upstairs, via the impressive silky oak staircase. Stay in one of the standard or heritage hotel rooms, or an original VIP heritage room that includes an en suite, kitchenette and private balcony. Ground floor motel rooms are also available.

What to do nearby:

Charleville School of Distance Education runs tours every weekday, giving visitors unique insight into this different way of schooling. Learn how the school operates and sit in on a lesson with a teacher while they teach their students on air. Tours begin at 10am and cost $2. Address: Parry Street, Charleville, QLD, 4470 Phone: (07) 4656 8999 Email: the.principal@charlevisde.eq.edu.au

WALKABOUT CREEK HOTEL

While travelling along the Matilda Way, you can’t drive past McKinlay’s famous pub, The Walkabout Creek Hotel, without stopping in for a cold one.

Originally known as the Federal McKinlay Hotel, you would recognise this pub from the movie featuring Paul Hogan that put Australia’s Outback on the map. If you’re a fan of the film, check out the Crocodile Dundee memorabilia, and grab a photo with the weathered cut-out of Mick Dundee inside.

Grab a beer, one for you and one for your mate, and enjoy the local hospitable atmosphere at this landmark hotel. For overnight stays, air-conditioned rooms, powered and unpowered sites are only a hop, skip and a jump away.

What to do nearby:

While in town, visit McKinlay’s ‘Crafty Old School House’ located in Wylde Street. Out front is a sculpture of a Coolibah Tree locally handcrafted from vintage metal objects collected from the local stations. Or, if you like to check out mining sites (and the massive machinery that keeps them rolling), drive 87 kilometres south of McKinlay to the South32 Cannington Mine. It is the world’s largest and lowest-cost single mine producer of both silver and lead. Opened in 1997, Cannington was the supplier of silver for the Olympic Games medals in Sydney in 2000, and again for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Did you know ...

In 1902 Charleville was the location of an unsuccessful attempt by Clement Lindley Wragge to fire cannons into the clouds in order to break a drought. The cannons used remain on display.

Educating outback children ...

Students at the School of Distance Education in Charleville complete their education through daily use of online resources supplied within the Learning Place, telephone and video conferencing on-air lessons, email, and through materials sent via Australia Post.