4x4 pub: The Purple Pub

The Gulf Town of Normanton is popular when the weather gets too cold in the southern states and the silver nomads head north to nearby Karumba for the winter.

They have to pass through Normanton on their way there, so the National Hotel, better known as the legendary Purple Pub, is like a magnet.

It’s not just the silver nomads that enjoy a quiet beverage in the bar or maybe a meal in the beer garden, it’s also the families tackling the Savannah Way and the backpackers who are finally reaching our shores again.

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Even at night the Purple Pub is outstanding

In fact there’s a cracking sign in another of Normanton’s pubs that reads ‘Use of the word COVID results in shouting the bar!’

While sitting at the bar enjoying a cold beverage, I got talking to a mix of people, including a couple from Sydney on their first trip out here, an author from Brisbane who’d lived in Bali for 10 years and was now here trying to finish another novel, and one of the locals who enjoys meeting new people as they pass through.

It was great to be able to relax with a beer and talk about life with strangers.

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I was caught out as the Liquor Barn wasn’t open on Sunday

The first edition of the National Hotel was built in the early 1900s and then the west wing, previously part of the Exchange Hotel in Croydon some 150km away, was relocated here and added to the original structure.

The building was painted a light mauve in 1968, and then in 1975 it was painted a few shades darker before the current purple was applied in 1979. The story goes that the order for paint was put in and it took a few months to arrive due to floods, and so by the time it arrived in Normanton, it had morphed into its current purple shade.

The Purple Pub has it all with a bar, bistro, beer garden, drive-through liquor barn and a motel. The beer garden includes a couple of pool tables and the menu is quite extensive with reasonable pricing for a pub this remote.

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Service with a smile, just what the doctor ordered

The motel has several rooms from $90 per night, all with air conditioning, ensuite, tea and coffee-making facilities, and telly, with guests also provided access to the pool.

From January to March the Purple Pub is open from 10am to 6pm daily and from April to December from 10am to 7pm daily. The drive-through liquor barn supposedly has the same hours however it was closed on the Sunday we dropped by. Fortunately takeaways are available from the bar when the liquor barn is closed.

There’s a pool com held on Thursdays with plenty of people signing up to battle for ‘Top Gun’ status, and for those with good singing voices there’s a Karaoke Night on Fridays. From the racket I heard when camped across the road, I can assure you it doesn’t take much talent to have a go.

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The beer garden is a great place to hang out or try to win the Thursday pool comp

The bistro is open for lunch from 12pm until 2pm and dinner from 6pm to 8pm, with a special roast night on Sunday nights.

I sampled the Chicken Burger with chips for $12. The chips were crispy and seasoned perfectly and the schnitzel was larger than the bun. The tomato, chipotle mayonnaise and fresh lettuce added moisture and it was all washed down with an ice-cold Super Crisp.

You can’t miss the iconic Purple Pub as you drive through Normanton. It is a great spot to relax and chat with whoever else is in the bar, and if you can’t be bothered cooking, the bistro offers a good feed, including pizzas, while you can dine in or take away. It’s also a good idea to check out the pub after dark as the lighting is spectacular.

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The chunky chips are seasoned perfectly and the schnitzel outsized the bun; it was all very tasty