Real pubs. Real country. Real welcome.
Two heritage outback pubs where the beer is cold, the meals are big and the verandah is always open. Stay a night, camp by the river, or bring the whole crew.
Two pubs, a lot of history
Both are working bush pubs, not theme parks. Locals at the bar, travellers on the verandah and a swag roll or two out the back.
Bowen River Hotel
A heritage-listed slab-timber pub that has been pouring beers for drovers, teamsters and travellers since the 1860s. Home of the Bowen River Rodeo and Campdraft every June.
- Heritage rooms
- Donga rooms
- Camping
- Pub meals
- Rodeo
Mount Coolon Hotel
The heart of an old gold town, reopened in November 2025 because a town needs a place to meet. A proper outback stop between Collinsville and Clermont.
- Pub rooms
- Camping
- Pub meals
- Cold drinks
- Gold-rush history
What you will find at both
A cold one
Ice-cold beer on tap, a good range in the fridge and someone behind the bar who is happy to see you.
Honest pub meals
Snitties, steaks, burgers and barra, plus a few surprises from the kitchen. Generous serves, fair prices.
A bed for the night
Pub rooms with character, practical rooms for workers and space to roll out a swag or park the van.
Country events
Rodeos, campdrafts, live music and community fundraisers. If the bush is getting together, it is probably at the pub.
Beds, meals and a cold drink for your whole crew
Working in the Bowen Basin or the ranges behind Collinsville? We look after mining, civil, exploration and energy crews with rooms, packed and hot meals, and accounts that make life easy for your office.
- Single and ensuite donga rooms
- Breakfast, crib and dinner packages
- Flexible short and long stays
- Company accounts and consolidated invoicing
- Parking for light vehicles, trucks and plant
Keeping bush pubs open
Apex Pubs & Hotels was established in 2025 with one job: keep real country pubs open and doing what they have always done. We reopened the Bowen River Hotel in July 2025 and the Mount Coolon Hotel in November 2025.
A bush pub is more than a bar. It is the post office, the meeting hall, the dance floor and the place you go when the creek is up. We source locally where we can, employ locally, and back the events that bring these communities together.
- 1861The Bowen River Hotel is established on the supply route to Central Western Queensland.
- 1921The Mount Coolon Hotel is established in a booming gold town.
- July 2025Apex Pubs & Hotels reopens the Bowen River Hotel.
- November 2025The Mount Coolon Hotel opens its doors again.
Pull up a stool
Rooms, campsites, a table for dinner or beds for a whole crew. Give us a call or send an enquiry and we will sort it out.