20210729 Qld Wilshot Hotel Ilfracombe

20210729 We've been through this town many times in the past but had never stopped at the old Wilshot Hotel, but as we parked across the road at the old railway station why not drop over for a drink and check it out, as we walked through the door my mouth instantly opened and out came the word, WOW!

Look, I found myself a hot cowboy at the Wellshot bar, now all I have to do is get rid of the old fart I'm with.

The Wellshot Hotel is a well travelled pub, when back in the 1900 it moved a number of times as it followed the railway west following the workers and money. It was relocated to each new location by either the railway or by bullock and cart until it found its final home in Ilfracombe in 1890.

This is a bar were if you take your hat off you could loose it, the walls are lined with many hat left there by the country folk or a traveller passing through.

There's been many a country bumkin pass through this old pub leaving behind their trusty old Akubra and let me tell you some are so old they are falling apart.

Take a step back in time and check out the walls decorated in history.

I looked up only to see the ceiling full of money from a quirky game that is played where you wrap a coin in a five dollar note, attach a tack and then toss it up to the ceiling, which is not an easy task, but be aware when it falls hitting you on the head. Every year the money is removed and donated to the Flying Doctors and the restoration of the machinery lining the street.

But the funny side of this was when I was telling Shane, my son about the money on the ceiling his first reaction was, did they have to peel Des off the ceiling, and off cause we cracked up laughing, but Des was quick with a come back, no Shane, they gave me an extra long ladder, well! talk about laugh, we had teas running down our face.😅😂

Walk around and have a read of the many captions lining the walls.

If you look close you will see a cap from the Redlands Rugby Union Club

The bar has many quirky items throughout the pub but I especially got a kick out of the stools.

 The Lynn Cameron Machinery Mile is an impressive stretch of historic machine collected from around the area and depicts the development of the pastoral and transport industries in central-west QLD.  Lynn Cameron is a sheep grazier who's been involved with the museum for over 25 years, one of his favourite exhibits is an old tractor that dates back to 1917. He said it's believed to be the only one of its kind left in the world.  One of the old wagons was drawn by up to 30 horses and capable of carting 100 bales of wool (weighing 15 to 20 tons) to coastal ports including Bowen or Rockhampton.

INTERESTING TOWN