joec15

Cactus on Palmer is always a good place to start your evening before heading to the night clubs. Best time to start is at 5pm during happy hour where you can get some killer prices on the freshly made cocktails. Make sure you keep an eye on the clock though so you can get your last drinks in before time expires. The food is good quality in large portions with something for everyone. While not what you would expect from mexico itself Cactus still does a good job to recreate some of their simple delights. The ability to sit indoors or outdoors is always welcome in Townsville.

The Shamrock or better affectionately known to the locals as the Shammy is Townsville's oldest Irish Pub with it I think turning 125 years old at some stage this year. The Shamrock is not a bad place to catch up with friends and start your evening being about a 12 minute walk to the Townsville night club area. The Shammy provides good tasting basic pub meals in good serving sizes. Currently I see that if you shop at woolworths they also have a shop a docket promotion where you can get a second meal for half price. Meals can be taken either inside or in the outside area of the restaurant/bar. The crowd is general a mix of blue collar workers from the local area and young revellers looking to have a few quiet drinks before the nightclubs open on the other side of the river. The Shammy regularly has live music and also plenty of big screen tv's so that you can see your team play. The service is always friendly and with a smile.

I love this place! This place is awesome. The Seisia Caravan park has both spots for you to bring your camper van, tents etc to stay plus also a range of small donga's for single occupants up to nice little stand alone cottages for 2 or more people. The caravan park is literally five minutes walk from where the ferry docks to take people to and from the mainland to Thursday Island and other Island groups in the Torres Strait region. From the jetty here you can catch some significantly good fish. Last time we were up I caught a 53cm salmon just standing there using a handline. I also saw other locals catch their morning breakfast their before work catching similar sized fish. IF you don't want to or cant catch your own dinner the restaurant at the caravan park has a great range of fresh seafood options available along with other normal take away menu items. Prices are average to a bit above average but the quality of the seafood in particular outstrips most places as it is so fresh. I recommend this place above all others for anyone who wants to bring their family to one of the most beautiful places in Australia.

The Bamaga resort is the most upmarket and prestigious location for travellers to stay, eat and drink at in the NPA area. The resort rooms themselves are quite small and compact with each generally opening out onto a walkway/veranda. The rooms are clean and comfortable but you should not expect the same level of facilities that you would from a resort along other more populated areas along the Australian coastline. The resort is frequented by a lot of public servants or business people whom are flying in and out of the area for work visits. The restaurant inside the resort has a small but very good upper end variety of eating options. I have dined on steaks, fish and chicken which have been of an excellent restaurant standard when staying here. The prices are very high but what you are likely to expect given the remoteness of the area. The resort also features a pool and is approximately within 15 minutes drive of any other noteworthy places in the area. The resort provides a significant amount of jobs to local community members who always do there best to make visitors feel very welcome. Overall the Bamaga resort is a nice place to stay, just expect to pay significant prices given the limited accommodation in the area.

The Enterprise Hotel in Charters Towers is a friendly place for both the local or traveller alike to grab a nice pub meal with a choice range of cold beverages. Whenever I have been out visiting friends in the area they always bring me here for dinner or lunch. The meals are nothing extravagant but plain good old style pub meals. I have eaten the steak , chips and gravy there on more than one occasion and I am sure to again a few more times in the future. Oh yes, and the prices are very reasonable for the portion size for those who like their food. The service provided is very friendly and what I am used to when visiting small country towns. It is very easy to have a conversation with the bartender or one of the locals who have dropped in for a quick beer or bite to eat. The Enterprise regularly plays some live music on weekend evenings and also has a pub tab and gaming room. The Enterprise is a choice place to visit while in the Towers.

The Kirwan Tavern is well patronized by a lot of locals who find it as a happy place to relax after work On the occasions I have visited the Tavern over the years there always seems to be a good mix of patrons between the blue collar working man and families whom are coming in to have a reasonably priced pub meal. There are a number of parts to the Kirwan Tavern including a TAB, poker machine room, restaurant, public bar and drive through bottle shop. The meals are in good sized proportions with my favourite pick for the Kirwan Tavern being their chicken. Their chef always seems to get it cooked just right, not to dry but still properly cooked all the way through. The staff are always pleasant though sometimes service can be a little slow when the place starts to get busy.

The CQ Leagues Club which was formerly the Rockhampton Brothers Leagues Club offers a great variety of food and entertainment for the locals and visitors alike. The Leagues Club which overlooks the Victoria Park rugby league fields provides a unique opportunity to be able to watch your local football team play while still enjoying a hearty meal and drink. The meals offered at the leagues club are generally a bit flashier and consist of a few more options than most pub meal varieties. Meals generally come with a nice salad and chips. My favourite meal at the CQ leagues club is generally there chicken burger. For those who wish to have a flutter there are also a number of pokies for you to try your luck on. Currently it looks like their normal website has been hacked by some loony political extremists so it might be worth checking them out on Facebook for more info.

The Rockhampton League's Club is a fantastic place to come and grab a great meal or cold beer. When I visit family in the Rocky area we always end up heading to the leagues club for at least one or more meals while I am in town. The League's Club offers significantly more variety of meals than your general pub restaurants and there salads are always very fresh and crisp. My favourite meal is the surf and turf but I also keep an eye out on what the daily special is as well. The Leagues club is quite a big complex having the restaurant area, a poker machine room, TAB and a number of lounge areas. When not having a bet my favourite part of the lounge to sit at is the area that overlooks Browne Park so that I can watch the local football matches live. The Leagues Club also has function areas upstairs while can also easily accommodate birthday party style meals in its restraint downstairs. The staff are unfailingly polite and even allowed us to bring in a birthday cake from outside on one visit for my grandmothers birthday. The leagues club also has a courteousy bus which is available for local drop off and pick up.

The Illbiblie Road House might be considered to be in the middle of nowhere along the Bruce Highway south of mackay but it definitely serves up some really nice food. I have been travelling up and down this section of the Bruce Highway for years and I always stop in at the Ilbilbie Road House to stretch my legs and get a bite to eat. I am a huge fan of both their roast beef and gravy rolls and also their fish burgers. I was admittedly not expecting much from a roadhouse in the middle of nowhere when I first stopped in here but was taken aback by how great the food was and the prices were also really good value. Apart from the great food there is a small restaurant area which feels quite homely where you can sit and relax and eat. There is also plenty of parking room outside so that if you need to pull over and have a bit of a sleep for a while you can. The very country style service and smile by the staff always make me feel welcome at the Ilbilbie Road House

The Oonoonba Hotel is your pretty much stock standard average Australian pub. Despite having a bit of a makeover in recent years it caters towards a lower socio-economic area of town. Apart from the main public bar area the hotel also offers a restaurant eating area, pokies room and by far and away the nicest addition to the hotel a very nice outdoor seating area. The meals offered are what you would expect from pub meals with reasonable sized portions and slightly lower than expected prices. The service from the staff is always good but some of the language from the patrons would turn a few head of some people. The hotel also has a drive through bottle shop and some accommodation available.