4x4 Pubs: Eulo Queen Hotel, QLD

IT’S A GREAT day-in-the-life yarn from publican Janelle Jackson, the woman who has just poured the crisp, cold beers we’re enjoying at the Eulo Queen Hotel.

“I’ll tell you what some of them are like,” she says excitedly when our over-the-bar chat inevitably turns to the topic of the tourists who travel through this little town in south-western Queensland.

“One night, I heard a noise” Janelle begins. “Anyway, it’s about 4am and I go out for a look. I find a lady stumbling around with a towel and a toiletries bag. So I say ‘Um, can I help you?’ and she says, ‘yes, can you let me into the amenities block?’

“I explain that she’s entitled to have a shower if she’s booked in. Then she says, ‘oh, no, we’re not booked here; we’re staying in our caravan out by the creek’.

“So I just lose my shit and tell her she can bloody-well go back to her bloody caravan by the bloody creek and have a bloody shower out there. And then she puts on an offended voice and says, ‘oh, no, but I want a hot shower’.”

Janelle’s funny tale of the shower thief has us laughing into our beers and shaking our heads. With partner Jacko (Jeffrey), the Bourke-born former real estate agent has been here at the quaint weatherboard hotel for three years.

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West of Cunnamulla and pretty much half way between Brisbane and Birdsville, Eulo is home to just a few dozen locals, but sees plenty of tourist traffic. Around here you can explore the Paroo River or chase dinosaur bones, before making your way farther into South Western Queensland and Corner Country.

The pub is decorated with typical pub paraphernalia such as road signs and photos of the floods the town must deal with occasionally. Of course, there’s a verandah out the front. A highlight of the front bar is the fascinating custom-made barstools, as each seat features dozens of bottle tops sealed in clear resin. Carlton mid-strength, XXXX and VB is served from taps poking from an old-school, varnished timber cool room plonked behind the bar, and more bottled brands tempt us from the fridge.

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The tucker is pub crowd-pleasers for lunch and dinner (with Friday night specials) and the accommodation out the back includes powered and unpowered sites as well as cabins. It’s perfect for 4WDers or those looking for a bit of comfort after exploring the area for a few days.

Being on a main tourist route – The Adventure Way – there’s always fresh ‘material’ arriving for great tales.

“Now let me tell you about the one I caught stealing the dunny paper!” Janelle says, as she winds-up to tell us another funny yarn.

4x4 Pub Guide

Website: www.euloqueenhotel.com.au
Phone: (07) 4655 4867
Address: Leo St, Eulo, Qld

Beers: Tap and bottles
Food: Lunch (12-2pm) $6-$18; dinner (6-8.30pm) $18-$30 – steak, chicken, salads, etc.

Accommodation: King single en-suite rooms ($88); family cabin, up to four people ($132).
Campsites: Unpowered sites ($10 per person); powered site ($30pp).
Camp Kitchen: Barbecue, microwave, fridge, jug, sink and dining tables.

What we Reckon: Top spot to prop for grog on your way west.

Gone West

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Since our visit, Janelle and Jeffery have moved a little farther west to Thargomindah, where they're running the caravan park. Col and Tracey Mace are the new publicans.