Features

Truckies “duck in” to a popular stop

The aptly named Burdekin Duck Roadhouse located at Sellheim beside the Flinders Highway is a nice place for truckies to pull up.

It is about 110km from coastal Townsville and 20km from Charters Towers and is a hop, step and a jump away from the mighty Burdekin River.

I passed there recently and there were several trucks parked outside where there is plenty of space.

Spy gets scores of calls every year from truck drivers who say it is a popular place for them for a short stop.

The Burdekin Duck had a proud history as a roadhouse for decades before it closed for several years before reopening in 2012.

This writer can fondly recall more than 30 years ago when it was operated by Bert Adams who was a great character.

One day I was driving past and saw a distraught lady run out of the toilets at the side of the roadhouse towards the bowsers with her knickers down.

“I went to use the toilet and there was a snake on the floor,” she said.

It turned out to be a deadly poisonous Taipan and at least a half dozen truckies who were there that day would recall the incident with humour.

A big tourist attraction there is the unusual “weather board” which locals tell you gives a correct predication about what can be expected daily.

But it really is just a gimmick.

A rock on a chain hangs from the top of the board and is supposed to move to one of the weather types listed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Send this to a friend