While they are often a welcome sight for weary grey nomads, many of Australia’s remote roadhouses don’t immediately appear particularly interesting or attractive.
Unless they are in desperate need of fuel or a toilet break, it is easy for travellers to ‘press on’ leaving the roadhouse operator to wait ruefully for the next vehicle to come along. So, how can often hard-pressed roadhouses find a point of difference to persuade grey nomads, truckies and backpackers to pull up and fill up.
Well, the operators of the roadhouse at Beaufort River, halfway between Perth and Albany on WA’s Albany Highway, are banking on the fear factor … and have put tombstones out front and monsters on the roof.
According to the ABC, travellers entering the business are now greeted with an array of spooky sights, sounds and interactive amusements
“It used to be an old tavern that had closed down, so when my partner Toni-Marie Jolley took it over, we decided to go with a bit of a theme,” proprietor Jim Whitwell told the national broadcaster. “We drew some influences from the classic roadhouses you find in the US, and although we like to refer to it as mystical, I guess you could call it horror-themed.”
Once inside the roadhouse, surprised customers are confronted by headless widows, howling wolves and a life-sized mannequin of Friday the 13th horror movie character Jason which springs to life thanks to hidden motion sensors.
“They catch everyone out,” Mr Whitwell said. “It’s all about bringing back that tradition you find on the highways in the US … a bit of fun and something to break up the long drive.”
