Birdsville Hotel Review: What to Expect & Photo’s!

When you think of Outback Queensland, chances are the Birdsville Hotel is one of the landmarks that comes to mind. This legendary pub has been welcoming travellers since 1884, and for many, staying here is as much a bucket-list experience as visiting Big Red or the Birdsville Races.

The challenge for first-time visitors is separating the romance of the history from the reality of the accommodation. What’s it really like to spend the night? Is it comfortable after a long day on the road? Do the facilities live up to expectations in such a remote town? Or is it simply a case of “roughing it” for the sake of the experience?

During our stay, I was pleasantly surprised at how well the Birdsville Hotel balances its rustic outback charm with modern comforts. In this review, I’ll share everything you need to know about staying at the Birdsville Hotel, so you can decide if it’s worth adding to your Outback Queensland adventure.

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Our Overall Review on the Birdsville Hotel

As a whole, We really enjoyed our stay at the Birdsville Hotel and all the facilities that came with. It exceeded my expectations for an isolated location in Outback Queensland, although you do need to factor in the inflated prices, reflecting how remote this place really is.

Staying at The Birdsville Hotel was simple, convenient, had friendly staff, and beautifully presented. In the end, this made our holiday planning less of a hassle and I was surprised at the quality received.

On the downside, it’s the only fixed accommodation in town and limited rooms (apart from Cabins at the caravan park). So, it will need to be booked well in advance to secure your spot. As it was, booking a month out we were only able to get single rooms, as the doubles were already filled.

Where is is located?

The Birdsville Hotel is located on the corner of Adelaide and Graham Street in Birdsville (Please see location Map HERE). This is part of Channel Country or the Diamantina Shire, but with limited streets in town, its hard to miss it as you’re driving around.

The small town of has a population of 160 people but receives over 100,000 tourists each year. Therefore, each one of them will be visiting the Birdsville Hotel at some stage.

The Birdsville Hotel is currently owned by Courtney and Talia Ellis, who purchased the Birdsville Hotel in 2019. Over years of droughts, fires, floods, and even cyclones, the Hotel still stands.

Additionally, the Pub offers so much for any tourist visiting Birdsville, from the accommodation, drinks, and those good ol’ country meals. Not only that, but reception can book your local tours, book your restaurant table and help you find out what to see in the area.

How Much does it cost?

Birdsville Hotel Prices start from $135 for a single Room in the Lodge (or $165 for Twin/Double Lodge Room) and go up to $260 for 1 person in the Motel Rooms, but it’s an extra $30 per person after that.

What is the Accommodation like?

The Hotel/Motel room accommodation was very comfortable, with 27 rooms of single or double configurations. Additionally, there is the Birdsville Lodge with 49 rooms right next door.

I think the building went through a refurbishment in 2019 and is newer than I expected. Car Parking was definitely limited, but there were additional spaces on the street.

Bedrooms

If your needing accommodation in Birdsville, then my biggest tip is to book well in advance. The Birdsville Hotel/Lodge and the Caravan Park are the only fixed accommodation you can book, and they are LIMITED.

I had a change of plans and therefore only gave me options for single bed configuration. Although, you can get a Queen room, a queen/single room, or 3 singles family rooms for more people.

Kitchen

The Motel room had a small kitchenette available with your basic tea and coffee-making facilities, as well as a toaster. Plus, the microwave made it easy for us to bring our own food and save a little money.

The country atmosphere is missed when eating in your rooms. Therefore, it’s nice to save some money, but have a meal or two at the local spots throughout town.

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Bathroom

The shower didn’t have a screen, but the slanting ground allowed the water to drain.

I must admit that the shower was really great to come home to after the dusty days at the Sand Dune!

Additionally, there was plenty of room on the bench for my toiletries, and a convenient hairdryer supplied.

The Facilities you have available?

Bar & Drinks

We were lucky to visit Birdsville at Low season, and very few people around. You will spend ages looking at the memorabilia on the walls that’s been collected over the years.

Expect prices to be slightly higher than what your use to in big cities, although this is the same for everything in the outback.

You have a few bar stools surrounding large kegs made into tables with plenty of places to stand.

Expecting the Bar would be crowded during event times like The Birdsville Races and The Big Red Bash! I guess I can’t comment on speedy service at these times. However, it was certainly warm and friendly for our visit.

The lovely Bar Attendant offered to take photos for us and asked us about our stay so far. So, overall, very welcoming and friendly!

Beer Garden

I don’t think I saw this area being used for our entire visit, less crowded and all. Although, during a busy time, this would be where most people are going to hang out.

There were spaces undercover and out in the open, plenty of chairs spaced out, and room for outside entertainment or live music.

Tip: Fly’s and bugs can be a big issue when travelling through the Outback Queensland, or Central Australia. It can happen intermittently around Birdsville and especially during warmer weather. I find carrying a fly net and a wide-brim hat will help in supporting a tolerance them.

Restaurant

Always keep in mind that supplies are limited and harder to get to remote locations. However, there was a variety of meals choices from burgers, steaks, or salads.

The meal size was huge (sometimes a little too big for me, as you can see from the picture below, so you’ll never leave hungry!

Things to Do in Birdsville

I was certainly surprised on the amount of different attractions you could see in Birdsville. With it’s isolation from everywhere in Australia, I thought I would be bored. However, that was not the case and you can start will more of these things mentioned below:

• Driving to the top of the Big Red Sand Dune, Simpson Desert or into the Munga-Thirri National Park.
• See the Volkswagen Beetle car that made it across the Desert
• Find the Sturt Desert Pea or other Australian Wildflowers in the remote areas.
• Visit the Waddi Trees outside of town
• Learn history at the Burke and Wills Tree

• Book a Big Red Sunset Tour with drinks and snacks.
• Take a Scenic Flight over Birdsville or surrounding regions like Lake Eyre.
• Look at the local art work and collection at the Tourist Information Centre
• Admire the Ruins of the Royal Hotel
• Bird watching or swimming in the billabong
• Learn about the Artesian Bore Heads and cooling Ponds

• Eat a Camel Pie at the Local Bakery
• Join the Big Red Bash ( Held July each year)
• Cheer on at the Birdsville Races (held September each year)

Birdsville is on a bucket list for most Australians, and I recommend making the effort to get there one day.

As it was, we made a massive Outback Queensland road trip to get to Birdsville and included places like Windorah, Quilpie, Charleville, Cunnamulla, Charlotte Plains, St George and Stanthorpe. 

Wrap up!

Thanks for reading this blog post today on our review of the Birdsville Hotel and I hope you found the information you needed to decided visiting yourself.

If you’re still in the planning phase of your trip, please see my other Outback Queensland articles for research and inspiration.

• Tips to know BEFORE planning a Queensland Road Trip
• Best Things to see in Outback Queensland
• Risks of Night Driving in Outback Queensland
• How to Get to Rainbow Falls in the Blackdown Tablelands National Park
• Is Cobbold Gorge Worth Visiting & Things to do
• Is Porcupine Gorge National Park worth Visiting
• Best Carnarvon Gorge Walks & Sites in the National Park
• Things to do in Longreach!
• Best Things to do in Winton that are worth visiting!