A Queensland couple have embarked on the ultimate road trip pub crawl, aiming to have a drink at every single pub in Australia.
Retirees Andrew and Ursula Keese are no strangers to pubs.
Both enjoy travelling, and Ursula had long wanted to see Australia in a motorhome, so they hatched a plan to see the heart of the country via its public houses.
It’s a mission they anticipate will take around eight years, and one they think nobody has ever done before.
The trip has involved detailed lists of every town and suburb in each state, and they systematically visit each pub and add it to their ‘completed’ list.
At each they order at least one drink, regularly choosing local tipples where offered, and take photos inside and of themselves outside, as proof they’ve been there.
The Keeses report many establishments have been happy to show them around and provide some background for the ongoing commentary.
Photos and a few details on each are then posted on social media, to their growing list of 3k followers. This has led to some publicans recognising and welcoming the couple as they walk in.
To date Andrew and Ursula have completed the rounds in home state Queensland, and are close to crossing off every stop in South Australia. They suggest their favourites have tended to be the older pubs, with character and characters both outside and in.
The latest post (at time of writing) thanked Gurley’s Royal Hotel, as their 1,582nd pub stop on the long road.
Hoping to help inspire more people to get back out travelling and patronising their locals, Andrew told the ABC they’re simply “doing our little bit” to help promote Australia’s amazing pubs.
“It’s rare that you walk in and people don’t go ‘g’day, how ya going?’.”
