At the South Western Hotel in Toompine the beer will be flowing and the yabby races running, in stark contrast to the location’s dicey water supply that has been stifled by ageing pipes and an old bore struck more than a century ago in 1918.

While the hotel’s punters may have reason to celebrate today as Australia’s most famous horse race is beamed into their remote part of the world 75 kilometres from Quilpie, locals across the district say they’re already on a winner as new water infrastructure is planned to kick-in from early next year.

It means that the South West Hotel, built in 1893 and the lone building standing in Toompine, a once bustling frontier opal town and Cobb & Co staging post, will have water flowing freely from taps in the outback community for the first time in decades.

Quilpie Shire Council CEO Justin Hancock said council worked with local community groups and stakeholders such as the hotel’s proprietors and local graziers to secure the Building our Regions Round 6 grant for the new bore.

“We’re thrilled that the application was a success,” he said.

“Water is the lifeblood of any outback community, and none more so than those set in our arid environment.”

Hancock said it was already an exciting week for Toompine with the hotel opening back up after closing in March 2020 due to Covid and then having a flood, coupled with supply and staff shortages.

“The restoration work that’s been done while it was shut is a real credit to owners Stuart and Kate Bowen,” he said.

“I think the celebrations will be even bigger now there’s a new water source locked in. It’s really going to help Stuart and Kate continue offering more for locals and tourists from the pub and providing infrastructure that will benefit the whole community with the reliable supply of water.”

The owners’ daughter Lauren Bond, who runs the hotel with her husband Sean, said she hoped today’s Melbourne Cup festivities would mark a new chapter for the historic pub, after it was purchased just prior to the pandemic and renovation costs blew out as repairs and modifications were carried during closures, shortages and natural disasters.

“But all that’s behind us now,” she said.

“The restoration is complete and it all looks great and we’ll be celebrating Melbourne Cup.

“With this bore news coming we feeling like we’ve got to be the luckiest place in Queensland.”

Hancock said that while the new water infrastructure would provide a suitable, reliable and sustainable water supply for the pub, it would also improve the region’s liveability as well as supporting the local recreation grounds where polocrosse and gun club activities are pursued.

He said the reliable water supply would also provide the community with firefighting capabilities and increase agricultural productivity by providing access to water for stock and resilience against natural disasters such as drought, and even floods when waters inundate and contaminate surface ground water.

Funding for the Quilpie Shire Council – Toompine Town Bore Replacement comes from the Queensland Government’s Building Better Regions grants as well as contributions from Council and Toompine landholders.

The total project cost is anticipated to be just over $780,000.