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. The Lyceum Hotel, Longreach circa 1920 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 wealt...