QHA Review - September 2017

FEATURE
QHA REVIEW | 24
where they are, being in the heart of Australia and
sharing the character and spirit of the outback.
“We’re really proud of our culture and our history, we
really want to share our heritage, we want people
to know about who we are and what we are in the
outback and the Birdsville Hotel is a way of doing that.
“We have mementos and photos and memorabilia
that highlight the characters and events and incidents
that have helped make Birdsville Hotel and its
representation of a legendary pub,” Jo said.
Some of the characters that help make that legend are
the locals of Birdsville who Jo said were the heart and
soul of the town.
“The locals are very important to us, they’re like the
hotel, they’re the heart and soul of the town and if
you think about what happens at the Birdsville Races,
there are 7000 visitors that come to town, but it’s the
locals who allow that to happen in a way that it
does happen.
“So while not too many locals work at the hotel, they
consider the hotel their own and it’s really important for
us to respect that and to make sure that they as locals
take their place at the bar as required. So they may
have their hat on the other side of the bar or if
they’ve passed, then their hat goes very
respectfully on the western wall.
“Some of the toughest things I’ve had to do in my
life is to decide where to place a treasured, loved
patron who is a local or has been a local, on the
western wall.”
The outback may have its extreme temperatures,
dust and flies, but it also has the Birdsville Hotel. A
place where you can get a cold beer, a great meal and
most of all escape the buzz of city life and get back to
basics where you can have a yarn with the locals and
appreciate this great southern land.