By Tania Phillips
Ask anyone out Allan way if they know where the Darling Downs Hotel is and they might look at you a bit puzzled.
Everyone and his dog knows it as the Sandy Creek Pub – the beautiful old white historic building about 10km outside of Warwick on the Sandy Creek Road at the start of the Sprint Route through to Leyburn.
It’s rustic, historic and iconic out that way – loved by locals and visitors alike and according to owner-operators Kevin and Karen Kiley it’s one of a kind.
“It’s unique,” Kevin, a local farmer and well-known pig race organizer, who has been watching over the pub since 2017, explained.
“It’s the only bloody thing that’s here which is just the way I like it,” he laughed. “It’s got a lot of character. “It’s over a hundred years old. The building’s been here since 1913 but a pub started operating on the site, well we think about 1866. I’ve got a photo of the pub that has 1875 on it but I’ve had an historian here lately and he is saying it dates back to 1866.
“This is an old bullock team pub, it’s on the old Cobb and Co way where there use to be a pub every five miles or so because that’s how far a bullock team would go fully loaded back in the day.”
These days Kevin and Karen have been working hard to put as much character into what they do as there is in the building itself. And there is a lot of character in the building with It’s classic country atmosphere, wide verandahs, jumping castle for the kids and rustic beer garden. Kevin cheekily promotes his pub as the “Home of the Thoroughbred Racing Pig”- “only because I own it” the man who, in non-Covid times runs pig racing all around the place, joked.
Offering patrons and visitors a full menu on the weekend, the pub has free camping facilities on site and Kevin’s been known to “knock up a meal for a hungry camper” through the week though it’s not something he advertises. But, Thursday, he says Thursday night is the night to be out there for a meal
“Parmy night is Thursday night here at the Creek and you get your choice of a chicken or a pork parmy – pork parmy are native to the Sandy Creek pub,” Kevin laughed.
“You get your choice of topping, we’ve got a seafood topping, we’ve got a ham and pineapple topping, a meat lovers topping and I think this week the cook’s going to start with a Mexican-style topping as well.”
Friday, Saturday and then Sunday lunch they have the full menu going and then Sunday night is pizza night. “These are the best pizzas in Allen,” Kevin quipped.
The pork and lamb for the menu are all homegrown while the “Parmy” for the parmy night are provided by the Lyons Street Butchers in Warwick.
They try and have entertainment once a month with Col Findlay playing on August 22 (Kev’s birthday) and of course there is the ever-popular Jag the Joker on Friday nights- it’s up to $820 this week for a $2 outlay. Friday is also meat-tray raffle night and of course the pub runs a courtesy bus Friday and Saturday as well.
The Sandy Creek Pub is at 345 Sandy Creek Road, Allan. Call Kevin and Karen on 4661 3413 and pay a visit online at www.darlingdownshotel.com.au.
