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.

Imperial Hotel Eumundi

Without doubt the Imperial Hotel is probably the best Pub in Australia, when it comes to what you want from a 'local' then this place ticks all the boxes. This ripper Pub is nestled in the Noosa Hinterlands of Eumundi, which is just a lazy 15 minute drive down the road to the beaut beaches of Noosa.







The Imperial has pretty well everything that you need in a Pub, for starters you have the beaut looking sheilahs from just up

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the road from Noose, who normally pop into the Markets that are held every Saturday just across the road. You also have your Backpackers on walkabout who always seem to make it to Eumundi, and ofcause the normal local trade of young sheilahs. The bar has the nice feel of a local with a fair bit of Pub memorabilia, and is just right to sit back and enjoy the scenery. You also have the normal stuff like a couple of pool tables, Juke box, One arm bandits (Pokies) and of-cause did I mention the beaut clientèle!

And when it came to tucker time this place is just mouth watering, it's got all your normal food and the counter meal that I fed on was just spot-on. But to be true it's hard to stuff up a chic ken schnitzel mate, but it was still up there with some of the best I've rapped my tongue around. Of-cause if your tripping through Queensland then you should give the local grub a go, and everyone was saying that the grilled baramundi so just spot-on. That night their was a band going off in the beer garden and so their was a good quality of sheilahs about, and the beer was going down real quick... but thats the tropical night air of Queensland that people from all over the world comes to this place to experience, and if your going to have a drink in Queensland then theres not a better place then here.



Now okay it was over ten years ago that I went walkabout thought this ripper Queenslan d town, and when I was their they had their own microbrewery up and going. Brewing their own beer called Eumundi Lager, which was a hit with the local trade and became a ripper exporter to the US. But over the years sadly the brewing has shut down, and now you have to drink the normal stuff but it's still a ripper place. That night I remember drinking way to many of Eumundi lagers, and was a fairdinkum stretcher case by the time I hit the road. I st aggered up the track to the local Eumundi caravan park, which is on Memorial drive and is a nice little place to have a nap. But during the afternoon I had a beaut time just sitting back with the locals downing coldies, with the music in the background and a never ending scenery of Backpackers and good looking locals. Yours truly was in his element and I just sat back and went with it, the night was great and with a walk up the road to Joes Waterhole just finished one of the greatest drinking nights of my life..... Lifes hard.

The Wedgetail Inn

Now this was one of me and the misses most loved 'LOCAL'S that we every placed a dusty foot in, it's the Wedgetail Inn located in the middle of the Nulabore bush. Fairdinkum the only place more isolated then this place would of been our old home Caiguna Roadhouse, funny because Caiguna was just down the road (sixty six kilometers in fact). As the 'Wedgie' was the bar inside the Cocklebiddy Roadhouse, and at that time in our life was a home away from home.
The bar is a pretty layed back pub with a real aussie larrikin clientèle, having a night's drinking session in this place is a real eye opener mate. The usual night has a 'mix of types' of people from all different backgrounds. full of off duty roadhouse workers ready to sink a relaxing coldie, after spending the hot day working in a very isolated place. When you think if you drive West for 438kms you will pass two roadhouses before hitting a normal sized town called Norsman (pop-1600). And if you go East for 759kms you will pass eight roadhouses before reaching the township of Ceduna (pop-4000), strewth stone the crows this place is in the sticks. So if you want a good night out then 'your best bet' is to pull up a stool and settle down in your own Pub the Wedgie!
If you do spend a night bending the elbow in the Wedge then you better bring ya moolah mate as it costs $4 for a cold tinnie of VB (well it did when we were last there), and if you like a spirit then good luck to ya! The bar has a beaut restaurant just off to the side and a cool pool table, which is where you will usually find most drinkers sinking a few and hitting a couple.
So who are the 'Natives' who drink in this bar out in the middle of woop woop, well there's the workers as I said and they also get a fair few drinkers from down the road at Caiguna Roadhouse. Fairdinkum as you know I was one of these workers and I loved the quick 66kms drive to Cocklebiddy for a few tinnies and a chat to the other staff, specially one! There were the workers from the only real working station 'Arubiddy', which spans an area of 3200 square kilometres.... strewth! Now these blokes and sheilahs know how to drink believe me, we had some of the best work parties you can only imagine.
There was always a truckie in the bar at one time or another, some of them were locals even if they did live in Sydney or Melbourne which were only 3000kms away. And of cause there was always the tourist who were just passing through, and loved the opportunely to sit back and have a quiet drink and a beaut time with this mob from the bush.
Really this is a great Pub and if your ever given the chance to drive the Nulabore then just give it a whirl, fairdinkum if you take your time and stop at the Roadhouses you will meet the types of people that I've spoken off. And you will take away with you some of the best times you will ever imagine possible.

The Wombat Hotel

The Wombat hotel is settled on the Olympic highway, in the small sleepy village of Wombat (hence the name) which is situated about 15km's west of Harden, on the southwest slopes of New South Wales. Wombat has a population of about 120 Wombatains and is a place with a great sense of humor. Visitors are always taken with the roadside sign saying 'Fore Sale: WOMBAT BUM NUTS'. What they are selling are actually free-range hen eggs from Robert and Helen Thaine's property, Woodhaven, sold on a honor system ($4 a dozen mate).
The hotel began trading in 1877 and has still got that old country pub style from the old days, it also has the longest continuous hotel license in N.S.W cool. After helping the thirst with a couple of icy cold schooners of Toothey's New we popped out the back to the restaurant and wrapped our laughing gear around a fairdinkum aussie 'counter lunch'. Yep one of the best 'Schnitzel with the lot' I think ive ever had the pressure to munch on, it was just bonzer mate. Fairdinkum I was flat out like a one-legged Riverdancer trying to eat the whole flamin' thing.
After the feed we moved to the pool table to try and work off some of the tucker, well they do say that the best way to work off the fat is by playing sport. And I can't for the life of me think of a better sport then the old pool table mate.
So after sinking a few more schooners we can tell ya that the pub has a beaut beer garden out the back, cheap accommodation and has Resches, Tootheys and of cause VB on-tap. So after visiting 'THE BAT' as the locals call it, we give it the thumbs up mate. Not only is the township a little beauty but the pub and it's mob of colorful characters are just what the doctor ordered after a long, hot days driving. So pop in and have a gander and a beer at this beaut little Pub nestled in the tranquil wombat bush.

Royal Inn (Waratah)

The old Royal Inn is a beaut little pub hidden away down Station street in the busy heart of Waratah town. It's one of those pubs that is driven by a strong local client-el full of hard working, Beer drinking colorful characters. I was very proud to call this watering hole my very own 'LOCAL', during my years working at BHP. We would finish our shift on Fridays (early day Fridays) at one o'clock and me and the mob from work would hit the Royal for a round of shouts. There was me good mate Shagger, Mick the wog, Stan, Fletcher, Ronnie Bindig, Paula, and of cause the Legend drinker Nicko. Could this mob sink some grog I hear you ask? Well does Jack Newton swim in circles?. And of cause there was Jenny the barmaid mmmmm.We were a pretty organized mob every friday arvo we would drink and play pool in the back bar for most of the day. Till the friday night footy started on the big TV in the side bar, then after-match drinks in the front bar till we would finished around eleven o'clock at night. Just in time for yours truly to get some Chinese take-away from down the street. I lived one block from The Royal so it only took about two/three minutes to walk (more like stagger) home and fall into me bean bag and munch away at some Sweet n' sour chicken and fried rice (bloody scrutinise mate) life can be so hard!
The Royal had a pool table in the front bar that was used in the Wednesday night pool comp, and one in the small back bar that also was used as a restaurant. They also had a side bar that was quiet a good size, it had a big screen TV for sport (footy,horse racing and the dish licker's) and a old potbelly stove against the side wall. In winter on friday/Saturday nights the publican always put a large pot of water with small potatoes in it, and placed it on the old potbelly and when you felt like a small feed you just grabbed one out, pretty cool hay.
Acrossed the carpark was the Waratah TAB so during the days drinking you would shot over and place a bet and be back before it was your turn at the pool table.
It was also a get togetherr place after a Saturday nights pub crawl, which always started at The Royal. Then moved down the road to the Townhall Hotel. The town hall was very well known for their saturday night striper's show...... say no more! After a quick walk over the train bridge and up the street to the Mayfield Hotel, The Mayfield didn't have much going for it but it's not like you can walk past a Pub, hay. Then a short walk across Maitland road to the Stag N' hunter Hotel. The stag had everything from beaut barmaids, icy cold beer on tap, pub-tab, beaut barmaids, ripper counter lunches and of cause beaut barmaids. After that we could end up anywhere! Fairdinkum. Many a sunday mornin', 'hair-of-the-dogs' was spent sinking a few schooners to get over the night before. Early openers was the start of a quiet days drinking for some... not Nicko and Fletch who most of the time were still drinking from the night before, Fairdinkum I'm not joking these two fellas could drink anyone under a table.
But as for the Pub it has some beaut memories that I will never forget and some Ive already forgotten. It has a real layed back atmosphere and the barmaids are very friendly, and will make anyone feel at home. So if your not driving then pop in and sink a coldie while you play a game of pool or just sit back and have a squizz at the footy on the telly. What ever you feel like this is a beaut workman's Pub and is worth having a beer at. Trust me.

The Blue Heeler Hotel

In the middle of the Queensland bush just of the Diamantina river, sits one of the country's most loved Pubs... The Blue Heeler Hotel. This Pub is a great drinking hole where you can sit back and sink heaps of coldies, it's got that great aussie bush atmosphere written across the walls... that's right written, as anyone with a pen has written something on the walls, inside and out. It's got a great beer garden outside under a bloody huge shed where people sit back and have a laugh and a fair few beers during the night. Above where you sit is one of those surf lifesaving boats sponsored by The Blue Heeler Hotel but where it would race in the surf out here, is anyone's guess!. They also have a surf lifesaver lookout tower out the front of the Pub which you can always see some tourist's sitting on for the Photo's.
The reason behind the surf stuff is that once a year the Pub has a annual surf lifesaving carnival, in aid of the Royal flying Doctor service, where surf lifeboats parade the street, cool.
This Pub is located in a little bush town called Kynuna, way out along the Mitilda highway in the Queensland outback. The 100 year old Hotel is just 20 odd km's from a place called Combo waterhole where Banjo Patterson sat down and wrote a poem about a ratbag and a billabong. The population of the town is just between 12 and 18, and is also known as a tidy town. Now i don't know if they just entered the contest for tidy town or if they won it once, but the way I look at it is if you can tell those 12 to 18 people to keep clean and pick up there rubbish then you must be a shoe in to win hay!
The Pub has a neon blue heeler with a flashing red neon tongue on top of iit's roof and at night is just a great Kodak moment. You can stay outback of the pub at it's caravan park or you can stay up the road at the Roadhouse, I thought i'd give the Pub's caravan park a go as it was closer to walk after a skinfull during the night. That night I had a beaut chicken schnitzel washed down with a fair few icy cold VB's and a couple of hits of the old brown brothers reserve port as I sat back on the bonnet of the vn commodore to have a gander at the dog on top of the pub.... things you do when your young, this is one of Australia's great Pubs mate.

Silverton Hotel

Well this watering hole is in the middle of nowhere mate it's about 25kms away from Broken Hill down a potholed invested stretch of tar. If you pass the pub and keep heading into the sticks you will come upon a lookout with a carpark next to it. From there the road drops down into a land only a bloke like Jack Absalom could bring life too. from the lookout you can lay your eyes on one of Australia's most beaut views, overlooking the Mundi Mundi plains into the Never Never and is commonly referred by the aborigines as looking over the mundi mundi plains into the never never..... (not a very hard language to get use to).
The Silverton Hotel is located in a little place called Silverton (hence the name) which is a little ghost town with about 50 people living in it, it was once a thriving mining town with more then 3000 but once the mines closed so did the town. The town paper wrote in 1887... 'The scum of the country began to be attracted to the new fields like blowflies to a carcase. Horse-stealer's, cattle duffers, rogues, robbers, all came to this mining town' sounds a bit like present day Canberra!. Nowadays there's some art's and craft shops and art galleries. But as for the Pub it's a beaut little watering hole with that old Australian style about it, you can pop in any time of day and there will probably be a bushie or worker inside having a yarn and sinking a coldie. Or a group of oldies on a bus trip into the Never Never or maybe just a couple of backpackers on walkabout. The Pub has heaps of bush memorabilia all over it and has some pictures of different times the Pub has been used in films. Like the movies Razorback, Dirty Deeds, A town like Alice, and the Mad Max movies. Actually Mel Gibson's famous V8 INTERCEPTOR is sometimes parked outside the Pub.
It's one of those Pubs that you have to see to appreciate, just imagine you've had a hot day in the car as the air conditioning in the commodore has just shit itself (which isn't that hard to imagine..... believe me) and you've had a gander at the art galleries. You walk into the hotel and sit back and wrap ya laughing gear around an icy cold schooner of Toothys..... life's pretty good mate. And the publican has always got a yarn about something to tell everyone, and if ya get there just before sundown as per ANYWHERE in Australian bush country, the whole place just lights up in every shade of orange you can point a bloody stick at mate.

Caiguna Roadhouse International Airstrip Bar

Well the Caiguna roadhouse International Airstrip bar was officially opened on the 23rd of October 1999 by the honorary member of the Caiguna roadhouse checkout chicks BECKY. The Airstrip bar was not operated inside the roadhouse but out in the bush beside the Caiguna airstrip (hence it's name). The main clientèle was the checkout chicks, cooks, petrol pumpers, truckies and the occasional lost copper. The bar consisted of an old abandoned caravan next to an old dumped falcon. It had a couple of seats a B.B.Q and an old table.
The Airstrip bar's usual entertainment was bush bashing races between the Holden Gemini and the Yellow Datson (whenever the Datson had wheels on it). And when the Royal Flying Doctor came flying in to say G'day. The closing time was usually after sundown as the bar had no lights except for the headlights of the Gemini.
Unfortunately when yours truly and Tania left the roadhouse the Airstrip bar fell into disuse and finally closed its doors. You can still go and have a gander at the old caravan and its mate the Falcon but it's all B.Y.O now. Gone is the Gemini, gone is the Datson, and the colorful characters that sat around the campfire at night drinking and telling yarns.
As another part of Australian History closes i'm sure another opens. In another place somewhere in the Australian outback these other blokes and sheilah's with there own little unlicensed watering hole. Drinking, chatting, and just having a beaut time. Living the life of the ruggerd outback characters that Banjo Patterson was so famous for writing stories about.
And as you sit back on the Falcon with a beer in one hand and casting your eyes over this hash countryside, a thought comes to mind. A saying that was made famous by a Legendary Australian who once said..... You can smell the Serenity......