· Open -

1901

· 1st Owners -

Developers John Parer and William Higgins - Related to Famous war photographer Damien Parer and Singer Missy Higgins

· AKA -

The New Empire Hotel / The Grand Old Lady of the West

· Stars - ***

· Guests -

Wealthy mining magnates

· History -

Queenstown was once the world's richest mining town. Now it looks like the moon.

Logging to fuel the copper smelters pulled all of the roots out of the hills. Sulphur fumes from the smelters and mined chemicals killed off the flora and fauna and infiltrated the soil so nothing could grow. It is both beautiful and starkly ugly which ironically has turned it into a tourist attraction.

By the time the first road to Hobart opened up in 1932 Queenstown was already a man made disaster.

· Signature -

National Trust Listed Staircase handcrafted of Tasmanian Blackwood. Timber cut locally and sent to England to be turned and sent back ready to assemble in 1904

· Rooms -

24 @ $85 - $165

· Tales -

In October 2019 local resident and mother of three Tamara Jane Drake heard a tourist in the pub making fun of her hometown on the phone. After a brief conversation she pushed her off the chair and punched her in the face 15 times, breaking her nose. The victim needed facial reconstruction surgery and 3 months off work.

 Drake showed no remorse and received a 7 month suspended sentence.

· Claim to Fame -

On the list of Top 100 Aussie Pubs

· Feature -

Typical historic old Aussie Pub - Heritage listed building

· View -

Queenstown and the surrounding hills

· High Tea -

On the Wilderness Railway or between April and November take a 5 min walk down to the Penghana Bed and Breakfast. Just make sure you give them 7 days notice. No I'm not joking

· Facilities -

Gaming / Bottleshop / Room Service / Shared Lounge / Open Fire in the dining room

· Unique -

The local football oval is the only gravel surfaced one in Australia. A grass one would not be able to cope with their annual rainfall

· Restaurants -

Free breakfast

Dining room with Pub Grub, kids menu and daily specials and Tasmanian Wines

· Bars -

Bar - Lounge

· Sights -

Directly across the road is the historic West Coast Wilderness Train (Steam) that goes through 35 km of wild rainforest to Strahan on the shores of Macquarie harbour. Strahan is the gateway to the World Heritage listed Franklin–Gordon Wild Rivers National Park.

The Galley Museum

Spion Kop (named after a battle in the Boer War) lookout for 360 degree views of Queenstown.

Gormie Hill has equally good views and fewer people

Hiking and Cycling are very popular

Mt Lyell Underground Mine tour

Gormanston mining ghost village

The Paragon Theatre

Self guided street art tour

Walk through the moonscape on the newly opened Horsetail Falls Walk

White water rafting on the King River

Take a cruise on the Gordon River

VISAS - 

Nearly all nationalities need visas for Australia. Click here to find what you need to do.

Australia has a digital arrival card called the Australia Travel Declaration (ATD), currently in a pilot program for eligible Qantas passengers on certain international flights (mainly Trans-Tasman, expanding to some US routes) who use the Qantas app to complete it before travel for a QR code pass upon arrival, but most travelers still use the traditional paper Incoming Passenger Card (IPC).

For Most Other Travelers -

• You'll still need to complete the paper Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) as usual, either on the plane or at the airport, before going through border control.

• The ATD pilot is successful and aims to expand to more airlines and airports, streamlining the process for everyone in the future.

· Extra -

See  #4 Tassie Loop in 'Australia'.

Click here to go to the marker map.