Monday, January 10, 2011

Joe's Waterhole Eumundi





If you feel like a few quite beers on a sunday arvo then you can't go past a beaut old Pub in the Noosa Hinterlands of Eumundi, and that Pub would be Joe's Waterhole. Built originally in 1891 and named The Commercial, it was brought by a fella called Joe Whiting in 1962 and became known as Joe's Waterhole. Joe put a sign at the entrance to Eumundi saying 'Free Beer Tomorrow' He came up with this idea which you have probably seen used by Pubs all over the country. He was the Publican between 1962 n' 1983 when his son Ray took over, and was still running the show until recently when the hotel was sold. The new owner Brett Lewis is keen to maintain the friendly atmosphere that Joe's has become famous for.




As for the Pub it has everything that the normal drinker would be looking for, like Pokies, Pool table, Juke box and a dart board. It has a beaut Bistro called Woodcutters that is run by a terrific local chef, and trust me he can cook up a ripper chicken schnitzel. The Hotel also has accommodation which you don't find around that much these days, with a single, double, and a double with a balcony. Inside you can catch the footy on the big screen TV, which is a good way to bring in the drinkers.... myself included. I was going to leave town that day but once I had a few quiet ones, and the footy started then that was the end of me leaving that day. It looked like the trip around the Eumundi hills and into Noosa would have to wait for at-least another day, I had set the little three man tent up on saturday at the local caravan park. And after spending saturday arvo and night drinking at the Imperial Hotel, it was only fair that I gave Joe's the same attention.





As for the township of Eumundi there is a blend of old and new all around, The streets are lined with historical buildings, modern art galleries, boutique wineries and local history museums. Of-cause there's the two Pubs The Imperial Hotel and Joes Waterhole, and on Saturdays you have market days where the town just comes alive. The subtropical Sunshine Coast averages seven hours of sunshine daily - crikey one of the highest rating in the world. So the residents and visitors can enjoy year round warm balmy temperatures. Also Eumundi is driving distance to some of Queensland's greatest places like 15 mins to Noosa, 25 mins to Aussie World (trust me you have to go their) and 40 mins drive to Australia Zoo Beerwah. But all that would have to wait for tomorrow as my focus was getting a bit hazy, and with a fair few beers under the bonnet I made that formula walk back to the caravan Park for a good nights kip.