QHA REVIEW April 2017

INSIGHTS
EXTRA ROOM
A SMALL NORTH QUEENSLAND COUNTRY PUB
BRIMMING WITH CHARACTER RECENTLY
TURNED HEADS AT THE QHA 2016 AWARDS
FOR EXCELLENCE.
QHA REVIEW | 38
In the heart of sugarcane country just north of Ingham
on a coastward turn-off from the Bruce Highway is the
town of Halifax - population approximately 450.
Jim and Michelle Thompson bought the Halifax Hotel
in 2006 and in that time have made considerable efforts
to transform it into something special. They’ve installed
a covered beer garden, children’s playground and
swimming pool for house guests and patrons. But the
jewel in the Halifax Hotel crown has to be its renovated
ensuite guest room. A full-size queen bed now fits easily
into the main bedroom and the spacious lounge holds
a further queen-size sofa bed and smart TV. The whole
unit opens out onto a partitioned private verandah.
“We moved walls to make it larger and completely
removed a staircase that gave us room to build an
ensuite bathroom,” Jim says.
Although the hotel’s six other guest rooms haven’t been
left out of the recent round of refurbishment, the new
ensuite room has definitely proved popular.
“Our ensuite room was born out of a need for selfcontained
accommodation in the township,” says
Michelle. “We have found that our accommodation is
now busier and the ensuite room is quite often booked.
Customer feedback expresses surprise that a small
country hotel can offer such a level of accommodation.”
Judges of last year’s QHA Awards for Excellence
agreed, concluding that Halifax Hotel’s offering had
the edge over other contenders in the Best Mid-
Range Accommodation category.
“Our tourist trade has increased since this award,” she
says. “However, we are in the wet season right now so
it’s our quietest time of the year.”
Jim and Michelle say that outside the wet season they
also get a good share of the tourists who venture to
“OUR ENSUITE ROOM WAS
BORN OUT OF A NEED FOR SELF-
CONTAINED ACCOMMODATION
IN THE TOWNSHIP. CUSTOMER
FEEDBACK EXPRESSES SURPRISE
THAT A SMALL COUNTRY HOTEL
CAN OFFER SUCH A LEVEL OF
ACCOMMODATION”
North Queensland and a lot of visitors from Townsville
looking for a weekend away. Many are drawn by the
pub’s unique rustic qualities the Thompsons were
careful to preserve while doing it up.
“Our hotel does have a lot of character and an original
horse shoe bar which, unfortunately, are disappearing
in Queensland,” Jim says. “Nearly all visitors to the area
comment about the character and the historic nature
and ‘feel’ of the hotel.”