For a town which famously boasts a population of zero and which is pretty much literally in the middle of nowhere, Betoota attracts a jaw-dropping amount of attention.
The tourism authorities memorably describe this quirky Queensland icon as ‘standing alone on a vast gibber plain’, and it is perhaps its ridiculously small size and ridiculously remote location – 170 kilometres east of Birdsville – which has paradoxically put it on the map.
For most non-Outback travellers, the town has become famed for, and synonymous with, the highly satirical – and hugely popular – Betoota Advocate ‘newspaper’. For grey nomads though, it is the prospect of a beer and a yarn in the iconic Betoota Hotel, visiting the huge Dreamtime Serpent artwork, and just the sheer adventure of getting here that makes the town such a drawcard.
Although it is popular with visitors, Betoota is famously unpopulated. PIC: Jumo Kim / TEQ
The Queensland Government opened a customs post here to collect a toll for stock travelling the stock route in the 1880s, and Betoota was also once a Cobb & Co change station. Although there were once three hotels in town, just one – remarkably – remains.
The Dreamtime Serpent represents the pathway of the region’s river systems. PIC: TEQ
The Betoota Hotel was originally constructed in 1885 as a custom station that would monitor and hold cattle being moved via horseback from state to state. Then, in the early 1900s, it was refashioned into a police station, before being transformed into the Betoota Hotel in 1922.
It was owned for many years by Simon ‘Ziggy’ Remienko, who died in 1997, and then it stood empty for nearly 20 years, seemingly destined to slowly deteriorate and collapse.
That was until Robert ‘Robbo’ Haken, a panel beater from Logan, stopped here in 2013 and was disgusted to find the hotel that he had previously visited on many occasions was being vandalised and disrespected.
After buying the pub, he set about fixing and restoring it. The iconic hostelry – which is surrounded by old school cars, trucks, trailers, and even farm equipment on the outside, and old memorabilia on the inside – opened its doors for the first time in nearly two decades in 2020.
It is now doing a roaring trade and is a much-loved stopping point for grey nomads … especially with camping out the front, and down at the creek.
There are a number of other points of interest in the area, including: the Dreamtime serpent, a stunning artwork carved into a hill representing the pathway of the region’s river systems; the Burke and Wills Plant Camp, a heritage-listed campsite where the famous explorers stopped; and Deon’s Lookout, 20 kilometres or so east of town, which offers spectacular 360-degree views.
The town also hosts a couple of really popular events; the Horse & Motorbike Gymkhana held during the Queensland Easter School Holidays, and the Betoota Rodeo and Races held in August.
It may have a population of zero, but don’t ever call Betoota a ghost town!
Are you a Grey Nomad member yet? Click here to find out about the discounts, competitions and other benefits on offer.
