General News
20 May, 2025
Quamby Pub reeling from incorrect road closures
The Burke Developmental Road is open between Cloncurry and Normanton, despite TMR saying it is closed.
The Quamby Pub is reporting its lowest tourist numbers in years, with inaccurate road closure information driving travellers away.
North West Weekly spoke with managers at the Quamby Pub, who said they were taking daily phone calls from tourists asking about the condition of the Burke Developmental Road, which connects Cloncurry with Normanton and Karumba.
They said the pub was now receiving at least five calls per day from travellers asking about the state of the road, which had been opened for weeks.
The pub has repeatedly contacted officials at the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), who said it was a “priority issue” that could still take one month to rectify.
Quamby Pub, located about half an hour north of Cloncurry, had purchased more food and alcohol in anticipation of the tourist season, which officially commenced in April, but instead numbers were down 80 per cent compared to previous years.
“We are getting more phone calls enquiring about the road information than any other issue,” a pub spokesperson said.
“We should have at least 10 or 12 people coming to our hotel every day but we are only seeing about two or three at the moment. We don’t even know how many people aren’t coming because the road information is wrong.
“The only people coming here at the moment are contractors who already know the area.”
As previously reported by North West Weekly, tourist operators across the Gulf have seen thousands of cancellations in recent weeks, which is partly due to a belief among travellers that the highways leading to the Gulf remain closed to all traffic.
Meanwhile, the Kennedy Developmental Road connecting Hughenden to The Lynd, has re-opened, albeit with a five-tonne limit on the gravel section.
Etheridge Shire Council has worked to fix the road after a spring burst open last month.