The Burketown Pub has the claim to fame of being the best pub in Burketown. no joke, it really is. Actually this is a good pub, with a great story to tell. Check out their website for some of the “tall tales” which encompasses some of this pubs colourful history.
At 146 years old, it is actually the oldest building in the Gulf area. It’s got a bit of a history – look out for the flood levels painted on the wall near the back steps as you walk out to the beer garden.
The pub has food, accommodation and beer – all the essentials of an outback pub. Now, I won’t lie to you, my friend and I had an average meal at best one night. The barra was more than overdone and the salad was a bit limp. BUT I hafta say, taken in the context that they were literally out the back of burke and were serving three dozen meals in an hour it wasn’t a bad show.
Greg the manager/boss is a tops bloke, and good for a yarn about the area or history of the place. I was actually amazed at the various hats he wears… from grounds-keeper to stacking cartons, serving beers and taking meal orders – he even seems to be a part time diplomat with more than one front bar dispute being called to his attention which he solved every time.
Our second night we had a ribe-eye steak, and I can recommend this on the menu. Check out the pics below. Personally I would go the veges over the salad – no reflection on the cooks, but this food has a bloody long way to travel and the veges must have the advantage as they were spot on.
The staff & locals are friendly, the atmosphere is rustic and real. Cold beer, plenty of food and a place to lay your head if you need it. This is actually one of the most real outback aussie pubs I have been to.
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#1 by Marteena McKenzie on 25 May, 2010 - 9:55 am
What an accurate summation of the Burketown pub! I’ve had a beer there too, and a glass of refrigerated red cask wine (YUM!). It’s a colourful country pub, and the service is very friendly. The meals are BIG, meaty, no-fuss and filling… Not recommended for vegetarians! Thanks for the review 🙂
#2 by Ken and Jill on 9 June, 2019 - 3:04 pm
We were “The Boss and Mrs Ken”, lease of the Albert Hotel 1979-1981. A wonderful experience we have never forgotten. Our children, Russell, Todd and Deanne continue to reminisce about their time in the Gulf…it is the place so different from our city life we had left behind…..We lived upstairs in the old pub. The kids attended the local school until high school when the boys went to All Souls Charters Towers. Many happy memories from that time.