OUTBACK PUBS

Wet your whistle at the Junction

There has been a pub where Western Australia's Lyons River and Gascoyne River come together since about 1884 and the basic, honest, outback watering hole remains pretty much unchanged today.

Story and photos John Denman

While it may have been ideal to have a pub where two rivers meet from the point of view of business, nature often has other ideas, and the classic old Gascoyne Junction Pub has withstood some serious flooding down the years. There's a mark on the wall in the bar that shows the 1980 flood came half way up it. The last big flood that came into the pub was in 2000, and was generated by Cyclone Steve, and no, that is not the name of one of the patrons.

Following the dusty roads and tracks out of the Kennedy Ranges is calculated to make any traveller think about a pub. There's something about the idea of a cold stubby with dew running down the side that seems to be germinated by dusty roads. Old pubs are becoming fewer in number as the outback becomes more travelled, and those with genuine character are even rarer.

Full story Issue 33 Feb/Mar 2004