Ayr’s landmark Queens Hotel has reopened its doors following an extensive renovation, reigniting community passion for the storied venue.
Positioned prominently at the corner of Queen and Edwards Streets, the Queens Hotel is the city’s oldest hotel and has been a local institution since its original construction in 1892. At one stage it featured landscaped gardens and a windmill.
Twice lost to fire—in 1902 and again in 1935—the current structure was completed in 1936 and has remained a cornerstone of the Burdekin region ever since. Ayr is immediately north of the Burdekin River system, about an hour south-east of Townsville.
Husband-and-wife operators Carly and Adam Child, who have owned the venue since 2009, have proudly maintained their independence in the wake of a wave of corporate consolidation across Queensland.
In 2023, after five years of planning, the Childs commenced a major refurbishment—delivered in stages and backed by Townsville-based Hurst Constructions Queensland. The project was purposefully built around engaging local trades, with the goal of creating “a beautiful pub that we could showcase” to the Burdekin community.
Stage One, completed in mid-2024, saw the hotel’s gaming offering upgraded, with structural changes making way for an expanded gaming lounge. The room’s machine count increased from 22 to 33.
Stage Two began with the venue’s closure on Australia Day, allowing for a major overhaul of the downstairs space. Works included removing the cold room, original bar and several internal walls, effectively gutting the hotel’s ground level to reconfigure it from the ground up.
While downstairs was closed during construction, the hotel continued to trade upstairs—particularly in its long-running nightclub, which remained open on weekends.
Much of the transformation was cosmetic but impactful, including fresh paint, a new bar, new furniture and structural changes that improved flow and accessibility throughout the venue.
A final stage will see upgrades to the venue’s bathrooms, with potential future plans to revamp the nightclub.
The renovation was delivered by Hurst Constructions in collaboration with architects BSPN. Hurst MD Jarrod Hurst says it is “one of the largest single bar areas” the company has delivered.
Since a soft reopening earlier this week, the venue has received an enthusiastic response from locals, with strong praise for its refreshed design and layout, the extended wine list, and the return of classic pub favourites.
“We’ve got more space and seating capacity,” says Carly, “and the hotel now flows from one area to another.”
