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During the early days of European settlement there were many shanty hotels along the various coach routes into the Corner Country, from Wilcannia to Milparinka, Mount Browne or The Granites (Tibooburra), as well as from Broken Hill.
Mail coach drivers and waggoneers regularly stopped at the shanty hotels to rest their passengers or to swap drivers and horses. Motorised transportation changed all of this with vehicles being able to travel from Broken Hill to Tibooburra in a few hours instead of a few days. Gradually, all of the shanty hotels closed, the last being Yanco Glen in the 1980s.
For the townships of Milparinka and Tibooburra it was a different story, the Milparinka Albert Hotel and Tibooburra’s Family and Two-Storey Hotels, all built in the early 1880s, are still trading today.
For details about accommodation in any of the existing hotels and roadhouse accommodation places listed below click here.
Milparinka Albert Hotel
The Mt Browne Goldrush began in earnest around 1880, with many hopefuls arriving on the goldfields and camping near Sturt’s Depot Glen. Soon after, campsites grew on the Evelyn Creek waterhole and a whole new township, named Milparinka after the waterhole, was established.
Although records are scant it is believed that there were four hotels in Milparinka. Of these only the Albert Hotel, has survived, trading almost continuously since 1882.
Other hotels included Prentice’s Milparinka (1892), The Royal (1882), and the Royal Standard (1882).
Family Hotel
The Family Hotel is a single storey sandstone building that was also known as the Tattersalls Hotel and has been continuously trading since it was built in 1882.
The hotel has become famous for its murals that were painted by a number of well-known Australian artists including Clifton Pugh, Russell Drysdale and Eric Minchin.
Tibooburra Accommodation – The Family Hotel, Tibooburra – Family Hotel
Two-Storey Hotel
The Tibooburra Hotel is an elegant two-storey sandstone building on the corner of Briscoe and Wills Street. It is the oldest of the two hotels left remaining in Tibooburra and was built of locally cut sandstone in 1882. The sandstone was transported to town by horse and cart and then hand-cut and hand-chipped to form the beautiful stone structure which remains today.
During its lifetime the hotel has undergone several name changes, from the Albert Hotel to the Royal Hotel and back to the Tibooburra Hotel. Locally it is known as the “Two-Storey
Packsaddle Roadhouse
The forerunner to the Packsaddle Roadhouse was the Packsaddle Hotel. Built in 1887 by Alex Scott, it was ideally located on a stock route between Queensland and South Australia to service stockmen, shearers as well as the mail coach to the Albert Goldfields. In 1898 the hotel was destroyed by fire.
The Packsaddle Roadhouse was established in 1958 by Bill Vickers on a site that was originally part of Packsaddle Station. The business has evolved into the well-known and much loved roadhouse that it is today.
Packsaddle Road House | Corner Country, Outback Australia – Packsaddle Roadhouse
Cameron Corner Store
Cameron Corner Store is located at the junction of South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales, Cameron Corner and is a feature of the Sturt’s Steps touring route. In 1990 Sandy Nall established a general store on the Queensland side of the border. Today it is an iconic outback destination. Accommodation includes basic motel rooms, and plenty of camping space. Good food and cold drinks, and a 9 holed golf course complete the attractions.
