Overview
Forget the pub with no beer — in central western Queensland, a resurrected watering hole will soon operate in a place with no residents. After closing its doors back in 1997, the Betoota Hotel will reopen in the ghost town in coming months.
Brisbane smash repairer Robert Haken is bringing the iconic spot back to life, telling Brisbane Times that he first fell for its charms around 30 years ago. Revisiting the empty, rundown site in 2015, he was driven to act. "When I walked into the place I just thought, what an amazing bit of Australia history and why isn't someone doing something with it."
After buying the pub before Christmas, he's now set on restoring it to its former glory by August, in time for the famous Betoota Races. Once it's up and running, it'll operate during the area's tourist season between April and November, serving up frosty beer, plus sausage sizzles, steak burgers, and pies and sausages roll from the Birdsville Bakery. Due to the heat, it won't open in summer.
The pub remains the only building in Betoota, and boasts quite the past, dating back to 1885. Previous owner Sigmund Remienko ran the place for 44 years until 1997. When he passed away in 2004, the town lost its last remaining resident.
If it sounds like the kind of story you might read in The Betoota Advocate, that's understandable; however, while the satirical publication takes its name from the deserted spot, this isn't one of their amusing tales.
For anyone keen to make the drive when the pub reopens, expect to trek more than 1500 kilometres west from Brisbane.
Via Brisbane Times. Image: Ian Cochrane via Flickr.