An historic country pub – much beloved by grey nomads and by the community which it served – has burned to the ground.
The Bollon Hotel in Bollon, south-west Queensland, was destroyed by fire on Saturday night, ripping the proverbial heart out of the town which has a population of less than 200.On its Facebook page, the pub’s management team said it was very grateful that no one was hurt in the incident.
“We are still in shock and trying to come to terms with it,” the statement said.
Bollon resident Bill Speedy told the ABC that most of the community witnessed the fire, which tore through the building and blanketed the town in thick smoke.
Emergency services were on the scene very quickly. PIC: QFES
“In town we could hear the loud bang,” he said. “It’s a double-storey building and smoke was just wafting out of it.”
The Bollon Hotel, dating back to 1953, was the only hotel and accommodation available in the small town. It also housed the local cafe.
Judith Russell, another resident of Bollon, told the ABC that the rural community – located 600 kilometres or so south-west of Brisbane – would struggle with the pub’s loss.
“We’ll be going into our tourist season in the next month, it’ll be a blow to the town and the travelling community,” she said. “People love to stop here and have a feed or stay the night, so that will really impact on the tourists coming through our town which then affects all the little businesses … it’s going to have a long-lasting impact.”
Fire investigators are on scene as they attempt to establish the cause of the blaze.
Are you a Grey Nomad member yet? Click here to find out about the discounts, competitions and other benefits on offer.
We have used the Cafe on many occasions over the last 7 years . It is going to leave a hole in the services for both local and the large travelling population.
We have stayed at the free camp on three separate occasions, and always ,without fail, walked over to the hotel and had a few drinks and brought take away booze. always easy to meet other travellers outside drinking. Sad loss to Bollen big time and the publicans.
Is there fund raising to help a rebuild? – a grey nomads giving back maybe?