Killer cockroaches and the worst counter meal ever.
The cockroach lurking in the urinal was the size of a small dog.
The plywood walls in the hallway were smashed in, clearly the result of a Saturday night rumble.
There was even a Ladies' Lounge, and I hadn't seen one of them since a short-lived stint behind the bar at the Claremont Hotel in 1986.
In other words, we'd found the perfect outback pub.
Decades ago, the grandly-named Lyceum must have been a shining light for the region.
Now, like Longreach itself, the sparkle has faded.
But the beer was cold (a schooner of Carlton Draught - $5.00) and the service as friendly as you might expect given I rocked up after four days without a shower.
There was just on thing missing; a row of singlet-clad drinkers perched on barstools.
"Where is everyone," I asked.
"Left," was the answer.
Apparently, the last drought was a reach too far for most of the local cockies. Longreach was once one of the wealthiest postcodes in the country. No more.
Forced to destock on a massive scale, when the rains finally came, there was no money to buy cattle.
Now, for hundreds of miles each side of the town, there's long, lush grass in abundance. Just nothing to eat it.
With the cashflow gone, Longreach is dying a slow death.
Further west in the Diamantina region, the drought didn't bite quite as hard, so there's plenty of cattle around.
Here's a warning though; these cows don't taste very good. Actually, most beef in Queensland is horrible.
Bred tough for outback conditions, Brahman crosses are a favourite for the live export trade. However in eating terms, they can't hold a candle to cattle from cooler climates.
My travelling companion said his steak in a pub farther west in Cloncurry was the worst he'd ever eaten. I don't remember much about mine. I'd taken advantage of the local beer pricing (a staggeringly cheap $3.50 per schooner).
Back to Longreach though, and even though the town's fortunes are fading, there's a lot to like about the place.
The dirty three (McDonald's, KFC and Hungry Jacks) haven't got a foothold yet, so the local businesses stand a chance of making a buck from travellers.
There's some glorious built heritage still intact, plus the Qantas Founders' Museum, which is possibly the only place on earth where you can walk on the wing of a Boeing 747. I offered $100 to let me try it when the 747 took off, but the tour guide just glared at me.
If it wasn't so remote - 700 km inland from Rockhampton - Longreach would be tourism hotspot. It's far more authentic than some of the grubby outback towns in Queensland (although the stage coach ride through town nearly wins the tackiest attraction of the year).
Tomorrow, we'll be going dinosaur hunting, and I'll explain how an Italian restaurant in Emerald saved my life.
The plywood walls in the hallway were smashed in, clearly the result of a Saturday night rumble.
There was even a Ladies' Lounge, and I hadn't seen one of them since a short-lived stint behind the bar at the Claremont Hotel in 1986.
In other words, we'd found the perfect outback pub.
 |
| The Lyceum Hotel, Longreach circa 1920 |
Now, like Longreach itself, the sparkle has faded.
But the beer was cold (a schooner of Carlton Draught - $5.00) and the service as friendly as you might expect given I rocked up after four days without a shower.
There was just on thing missing; a row of singlet-clad drinkers perched on barstools.
"Where is everyone," I asked.
"Left," was the answer.
Apparently, the last drought was a reach too far for most of the local cockies. Longreach was once one of the wealthiest postcodes in the country. No more.
Forced to destock on a massive scale, when the rains finally came, there was no money to buy cattle.
Now, for hundreds of miles each side of the town, there's long, lush grass in abundance. Just nothing to eat it.
With the cashflow gone, Longreach is dying a slow death.
Further west in the Diamantina region, the drought didn't bite quite as hard, so there's plenty of cattle around.
Here's a warning though; these cows don't taste very good. Actually, most beef in Queensland is horrible.
Bred tough for outback conditions, Brahman crosses are a favourite for the live export trade. However in eating terms, they can't hold a candle to cattle from cooler climates.
 |
| Nice to look at. Not so good on the plate. |
My travelling companion said his steak in a pub farther west in Cloncurry was the worst he'd ever eaten. I don't remember much about mine. I'd taken advantage of the local beer pricing (a staggeringly cheap $3.50 per schooner).
Back to Longreach though, and even though the town's fortunes are fading, there's a lot to like about the place.
The dirty three (McDonald's, KFC and Hungry Jacks) haven't got a foothold yet, so the local businesses stand a chance of making a buck from travellers.
There's some glorious built heritage still intact, plus the Qantas Founders' Museum, which is possibly the only place on earth where you can walk on the wing of a Boeing 747. I offered $100 to let me try it when the 747 took off, but the tour guide just glared at me.
If it wasn't so remote - 700 km inland from Rockhampton - Longreach would be tourism hotspot. It's far more authentic than some of the grubby outback towns in Queensland (although the stage coach ride through town nearly wins the tackiest attraction of the year).
Tomorrow, we'll be going dinosaur hunting, and I'll explain how an Italian restaurant in Emerald saved my life.
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