A hotel on the Flinders Highway in Queensland is making itself into a haven for truckies, offering them free tea and coffee, 10% off meals and free 24/7 showers.
The Oasis Exchange Hotel Torrens Creek is located between Townsville and Mt Isa, in a prime spot for tired and hungry truck drivers.
Owner Priscilla Meli said the establishment, which boasts a restaurant, cafe, pub, motel and caravan park as well as hotel rooms, is very welcoming of truckies.
“We hear constantly that truck drivers are frustrated by the quality of the food and facilities along their routes,” she told Big Rigs.
“We give truck drivers a 10% discount on our food and we have free showers in our caravan park available 24/7 for them.”
Meli said the Oasis Exchange serves restaurant-quality meals as well as more casual pub and cafe food.
“We know truck drivers often get a bit sick of eating the same s*** on the road all the time,” she continued.
“Our meals are big meals, and they are old-fashioned meals. The salad isn’t just green leaves – we’ll have a boiled egg, coleslaw, beetroot – a proper salad.
“If truck drivers are in a hurry, we’ve got a cafe next to the pub, where they can grab a sandwich and an espresso or some fruit.
“The cafe also has fuel and oil if people need it, and we have heaps of parking for trucks – we’ve had trucks with four trailers pulling in.”
Meli recently set up a breakfast bar for guests and has decided to extend it to truck drivers.
You can tuck into a continental breakfast for $10 or choose from a menu of cooked meals – with free tea and coffee for truckies.
“We came up with the idea to set up the breakfast bar just to make a little hub for our hotel and motel guests,” Meli said.
“And then we thought – well, we’ve got this here, why not open it up to truck drivers?
“We’re giving them free tea and coffee, and normally when they come in for their free hot drink, they’ll buy something anyway, a sandwich or a sausage roll. So it works both ways.”
Meli said she’s received great feedback from truckies so far.
“Some people say we’re the best feed on the Flinders Highway, from Townsville to Mt Isa! People are very appreciative. It’s been lovely.”