Years ago the Marlborough/ Sarina road was the only hwy between Rockhampton and Sarina,it was branded the ” Horror Stretch” because of the many fatalities including murders during a period of time. Another name that was used was “The Crystal Highway” named that because the amount of windscreen’s that would end up smashed.
In 1985 the Bruce Hwy between Sarina and Rockhampton was completed so virtually overnight the old hwy became abandoned by the hoards of traffic that once used it!
As a kid we’ve both traveled on this road,but have never done so since traveling Australia,so instead of taking the normal route along the coastline we saw the turnoff at Marlborough and took it as an opportunity to explore a different area.
We had heard a little about this highway and some of the stories that surfaced weren’t that pleasant ,not just from the goings on that happened a few decades ago but what also went on in the history of the land and the ruthless killings of native Australians.
Just as we were leaving Marlborough on dark, a black cat ran across in front of our path,not being terribly superstitious people we did though start doubting why we were taking this stretch.
This highway takes you through allot of scrubby floodplain plus a few hills and then toward the Sarina end after the range it opens out into cane fields,the road is narrow and bumpy, full of large and small roo’s and of a night a little eerie.
You can tell this once was a busy hwy ,the whole 250 or so klms use to have 4 fuel stops, but now-days only one of them remains open.Not too far into our journey was an old roadhouse,once abandoned but now used as someones residence and further along from that roadhouse is where we pulled up for the night by yet another roadhouse with an adjoining motel.
So being parked up beside an old Roadhouse and Motel of a night,what’s the first thing the kids want to do? go on a night tour!
Every place no matter how old always takes on a eerie feel to it when its abandoned,so it really set the scene for some screams and anticipation of what may have jumped out to give us all a fright.
By day it has a somber feel to it, kind of sad to see what lay in ruins from vandals making a mess of both buildings.
Not sure what the place was called,there was no sign apart from the faded word Motel painted on the front of the building and a few other animal murals painted over the other walls.Each motel room was decorated in brightly coloured carpet and a matching wall paper,really putting the whole place into that 70’s era.
Out the front of the Motel inscribed in the once wet concrete was a couple of names,one person called Richard from south Australia with the date 12/9/70, taking it back to the decade when a few murders and disappearances happened along this lonely highway.
We are not sure what the story is behind this place,all we know is that it once was a busy Motel/fuel stop and like the other two road houses,it also came to its demise once the number of travelers dwindled over the years, if only the walls could talk I’m sure this place would have plenty of stories to tell.
the driveway into the now abandoned Roadhouse/Motel
The Motel that’s seen far better days
Grass now covering the front slab where vehicles would have once pulled up for fuel
Front entry
Room number 7
A broken old cot still sitting in one of the motel rooms
Richard from South Australia
Mural painted at the front entry of the Roadhouse
What looked to be an old BBQ area
Night time tour
Further on up the road out the front of the gates to a station and sitting in a small park is an over sized torch monument in honor of the 1956 Torch Relay, the locals call it the Ice cream Cone,it does kind of resemble one!
Back in 1956 in that area and under unique conditions the transfer of the Olympic Flame took place while on its journey to the Olympic Stadium in Melbourne.
LOTUS CREEK , The only roadhouse left along this stretch of hwy that’s remained open since the new hwy was completed in “85” It was originally used for the military as a stop off for repairs on their trek from Townsville to Rockhampton but now owned by Sandy who has been there for over 30 years.If you find yourself along this stretch do stop in ,even if its just to say G’day or maybe stay a night or two, he’s a great bloke and knows the area and its history well. Available are powered and unpowered camp sites $20 for power and $15 for unpowered,there’s a pool down the back plus a creek which you may be lucky enough to spot a platypus in.
After passing through mainly cattle country and open dry scrubby landscapes we didn’t expect to see a Koala on the road.
Had to look twice when we noticed what we thought was a small wallaby by the roadside,slowed right down and worked out it was a Koala Bear ready to venture across the road in front of us! We’ve seen Koalas in the wild but never one beside the road ,we waited for him to cross and safely get up a tree.
Comments 47
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31/08/2014
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Ted Wrathmall
Great story, Pete and Allison, great photos as well, been on that h’way way back, when we did inland to Mt Isa, across to Townsville and back to Brissie, we had a windscreen protector on 🙂
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02/09/2014
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jessie pallanza
my parents Bert n Joyce Clarke ran the Connors river servo just north of lotus creek on the bank of the Connors river,, this was a fabulous place to raise our families,, in its heyday, ( from 1972-83,) then some smarty decided it would be a good idea to put up flood gates and open a new all weather ( big joke) highway on the coast, this sent every business on the old bruce highway between Sarina to Marlborough to the wall,, thank you very much officialdom….. last year alex and I did the trip back and took heaps or photos like these but I lost them all when my phone sim was corrupted before I could back them up, so cried,,, a big thank you for posting these,, ps the family always wanted to buy the servo back after surrender but it was sold on without notification, no its all just a sad yet wonderful memory..
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08/09/2014
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
Sad to hear your family didn’t get the chance to buy the servo back,I’m sure it held some awesome memories.The government by the sounds of it didn’t care what so ever what happened to the businesses along that hwy,no compensation,just nothing….typical
Thanks for your comment Jessie,I’m sorry you lost your shots from your trip!
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02/09/2014
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Robert Clarke
My parents owned the servo at Conners river damn I miss that place lots of good memory. 🙂
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03/09/2014
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Joan Auer
Fantastic story. Has been so long since I have travelled that road, I can’t remember much about it. Definitely putting it on my bucket list.
Good luck guys
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04/09/2014
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Sally
Great story. Actually My father surveyed that road for theMain Roads Dept about 1940. It was called The Inland Defense Road A road that could be used during WW 2. In case the coast was invaded by the Japenese I was a child at the time and used to hear dingos howl at night Very scary for a 6yr old. My mother taught me my school lessons via the Correspondence School. Head quarters in Brisbane. I would await the Mailman with fear of any mistakes I had made and comments from my teacher
I was always saddened to hear stories of murders and strange happenings People experienced on the road. A few years ago I took a nostalgic trip over it The deserted buildings certainly look sad !!!
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04/09/2014
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Bill
Hello, my mother and her family use to run and own this servo. It was called Barmount Service Station. They are the Conaghans . Thanks for the story, so much history. I will show mum your photos and ask about Richard. Thanks again.
Bill Geiger
Bill I worked at Barmount Service Station,Isles owned it while I worked there, us girls used to hitchhike to Mackay every week till the couple got murdered up the road they were sleeping in their caravan in the bush off the highway,we weren’t game to hitchhike after that.
Wow it wasn’t isles it was the Ayles and I lived their with my Aunty and Uncle who ran and we all lived in the first two rooms of the Motel most of my family were there at one stage. Was one of the best places to live with my Aunty’s and Uncle’s and cousins we then all branched out from there to Mackay and Sarina ohh n lived in a fish humpy at Dingo Beach with a man named Hutch my mother’s boyfriend at the time for 8months
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04/09/2014
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wendy
We used to travel that road when we visited family in Mackay from Rocky when we were kids. My brothers and Iare in our late 30s now. Dont remember much of road.
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06/09/2014
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Bruce Ehrlich
Jessie, was the servo on the right hand side of the road heading north just before the Conners River?
I live at St Lawrance and travel that road on a regular basis. There is a property just before the Conners River which looks to have an old “tum led” down building next to the road?
Author
07/09/2014
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Kath solli
Hi guys thanks for the very interesting read.I too have very fond memories of travelling that road on many occasions and going camping and pig hunting with my partner and another couple on lotus park, and would enjoy pulling up at the lotus creek servo after a very long, dusty and cold weekend in the bush,to get a hamburger and freshen up.We also used to go to Connors River servo and remember the saw mill and used to stay here also.There was always a beautiful waterhole somewhere for a cool dip.
There were lots of grain blocks which attracted many wild pigs which was great sport of pig hunting to help the farmers out.
I also remember of the numerous murders that were committed along that highway in years gone by in particular the family of 4 that were camping on the side of road at one the rivers which really shocked me for a sleepy country area.
The stretch of road was notorious for hitchhikers which was a very common sight in those days,which my grandmother would often take food to
The side of road just opposite her house on Range Road.This used to worry me a lot,as I feared for her safety,
She was always worried for the welfare of the women who would often been seen with babies and small children tagging along beside .
She never thought of her safety,she always found the good in everybody.
This story of yours has sparked a lot of wonderful memories for me and maybe will inspire me to take a drive down memory lane some time.
Cheers kath
Author
08/09/2014
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
Hey Thanks for commenting Kath,reading your experiences is really interesting…..great memories apart from the numerous murders,we never heard about the family of four.Your grandmother sounds like a sweet lady but a bit of a worry for doing what she did.In our opinion the stretch of hwy is by far more interesting than going the coastal way,I hope one day soon you return for a drive down memory lane.
Cheers
Peter & Allison
Author
01/09/2014
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Sandy Petrie
Thanks for the great publicity Peter and Allison hope to catch up with you when you travel back this way
Sandy
Author
08/09/2014
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
Can’t wait to return Sandy,looking forward to talking with you more!
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08/09/2014
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Stuart Skeels
hello Jessie…just read that interesting article. Not too long ago I took a school charter on behalf of Greyhound,from the Clarke Creek Primary School which is about 2/3 of the way down that highway on the May Downs Road turn off, to the Ed. Dept. Schools Camp at the Kinchant Dam near Eton (North).What a great school, & found the teachers; students & the parents I met to be the same. Would do it again anytime given the opportunity.Having
never travelled that “road” before, it was for
me as is stated, ‘an experience’. Also stopped
to re-fuel at the (now) one & only ‘servo’.
But, & Not as the saying goes trying to “teach you to suck” those proverbial eggs….was wondering If you still had that mobile phone with all those treasured “lost” photo’s on?, – as I noticed you said you’d apparently list them due to the ‘sim’ card self destructing… whereas in most ‘mobiles” that I can recall “owning” (& I’ve had a few- back to the ‘bag & handset’ type & if you recall the Motorola Brick?…) which hadn’t photo facility,whereas even the then ‘newer’ first smaller versions stored their pictures in the seperate ‘micro’
card…and therefor If you still had that phone should be ‘recoverable’ even now. Anyway, Jessie….just a thought. 🙂 .
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08/09/2014
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judy gibson
travelled this road many times… lots of great memories…thanks for story an great photos….
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04/09/2014
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Bel Perry
I grew up on a cattle station just down the road from this service station, and it was closed down all the years I grew up here. My Aunt & Uncle the O’Rourkes were one of the first families to live on the horror stretch back when it was all brigalow scrub. We lived on “Lietrim” Station which is just pass the Clarke Creek State School turnoff heading towards Sarina. My Aunt used to tell us stories about why the main house was set so far back into the station and it was for safety. As it was such a dangerous stretch of road the house was put in a position where it could not be seen from the road during day or night. They started off in a massive big shed, which had escape doors all through it, should they ever get unexpected visitors. The school bus used to come from Lotus Creek Service Station and was run by a man called Sandy…. 🙂 Lovely Irish or scottish fella who used to make the bus rides quite enjoyable.
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06/09/2014
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Dingo
If this is the motel just south of Lotus creek I believe that might be the old Barmount roadhouse. We spent a lot of our growing up camping and shooting and eventually working on a property not far from the roadhouse. Great memories…
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09/09/2014
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Valerie Korn
Brought back some memories. Very sad to see how time has led to places being deserted. Back in the early 80’s, 30 years ago Dave worked at Croydon run by Keith & Barb Millray & then on Yarrandoo run by Cherry’s for a total of 19 years, Valerie (me) for only a year or so on a property called Yatton owned by Purcells. Miriam Purcell used to drive the Clarke Creek school bus. The Barmount Servo was operating back then. If my memory serves me right the motel section had not long closed. Use to buy our beer & take away there and all other needs. I am amazed that Lotus creek is still going and that Sandy is still there. Ron Roth & his wife used to own Lotus Creek and sold it to Sandy. Had some wonderful times at the Clarke Creek Hall & Rodeo grounds to. It was a wonderful community to be part of. We think we might just go back for a drive one day. Thank you for sharing your story.
looking for a Cherry Hargraves from lotus creek server station work there in 1970.
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21/09/2014
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Michael Mott
Hi guys, sounds like you are all having the trip of a life time travelling around our awesome country. I know the horror stretch quite well as we used to live in Marlborough and my Dad, Fred Mott used to be the mail man up that way for many years. My uncle Nev Simpson had the run after that. There was a fellow by the name of Vangelder who was in the old Barmount Servo( also known as the halfway house if my memory hasn’t failed me lol) that had a grain harvester and trucks. I worked for him for a while carting grain to Waitara rail and into Mackay harbour back I The mid 80s. Very interesting reading. Good luck and happy trails to you and your family. Cheers Mick.
Author
02/10/2014
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
Thanks for commenting Mick,cool to read about your memories of the place,the stretch sure has some history!
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29/09/2014
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bevan pidgeon
am in the process of buying the old roadhouse ( barmount roadhouse) and living a self sufficient lifestyle . absolutely heartbreaking to think that some people could get a thrill out of destroying things the way they have
Author
02/10/2014
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
All the best with the purchase,it would be great to see the place cleaned up! Always upsetting to see interesting old places like that be destroyed by vandals,honestly why do they bother.Thanks for letting us know
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03/10/2014
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Ree
My Grandad painted those animal Murals on the outside of that building. =)
My Dad grew up spending alot of time there, and hunting on Barmount Feedlot.
Author
20/01/2015
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PatriciaJem
It’s hard to find educated people for this topic, however, you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
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06/02/2015
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Nigel Clarry
I knew the Cattle station as ‘Longacre’ and the owner or manager? was Ray Anderson.
Dad acquired the ‘Boss’ dog as it was going to be shot because he became lazy through taking off to the servo for a feed.
I was around 6 or 7 and went up from Brisbane for a holiday with Dad whilst he was building the ESSO servo.
Author
07/02/2015
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
Thanks that’s interesting…..that’s one lucky dog, that your dad came along.It wasn’t a cattle dog was it? they love wandering off for that extra feed
Author
07/02/2015
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Nigel Clarry
Boss had Bull Terrier and cattle dog, there is a photo somewhere of Dad holding him.
When he brought him back to Brisbane he killed the next door neighbour’s dog which didn’t go down well.
Was it Stockyard Creek where you stayed? If so, those ruins are the ESSO on the edge of Longacre station.
Dad had his own ‘Marlborough stretch’ incident. The story I recall was while he and Gary(his foreman carpenter) went to town late arv for a carton the caravan they were staying in whilst building was stolen by a wanted pair(one a murderer). On the way back they came across an accident (the rest is a bit foggy). The wanted murderer was driving and his mate was dead underneath the land rover. It was dark and didn’t realise it was Dad’s van rolled over down a bank.
Anyhow, apparently it was a close call from being shot dead, the police got their man and I think Dad may have had to attend court in Rocky as a witness or something, I just don’t remember correctly(probably over the stolen van)?
Author
09/02/2015
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
WOW, that sounds like a scary sort of moment for your dad and maybe a very close call.
Author
09/02/2015
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
That sounds like it was one very tough old Bull terrier.
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06/02/2015
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Nigel Clarry
Hi and WOW!
My Father John Clarry (deceased) built the Lotus Creek (ESSO) roadhouse in 1969.
I must show my 73yo uncle David this blog of yours. He also built and extended servos.
Grandad (J.W.Clarry Constructions) started the oil company work then the sons took over when he retired.
Thanks for the photos, I must do the trip again myself this year. Nigel
Author
07/02/2015
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
Sorry to hear about your dad Nigel and Thanks for your comment,we love hearing from people like you and the history about the area,very interesting Thank you!
yes it was an esso at lotus creek in1969
Author
07/02/2015
Nigel Clarry
Sorry, made a mistake my older brother has informed me, the ESSO Dad built was at Stockyard Creek on the stretch and one thing I do remember was the hill in the distance which must be Mt. Bora.
Now found out after calling Lotus Creek that it has been long closed and it looks like you might have stayed there, is this correct? Are those photos the old ESSO and Motel at Stockyard Creek?
Author
09/02/2015
holidayroad@y7mail.com
We “Think” the Esso was located North of Lotus creek. That one has been completely demolished. The one we stayed at was South of Lotus creek. There is also another one further South that someone lives in but think that may have been a Shell.
It’s been a while since we were there so don’t take our word for it. The best thing would be to ask Lotus Creek if the Esso was North or South.
Cheers Peter.
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18/02/2015
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alan
I hitchhiked that road in ’79 after a week or two in Rocky. Walked past a large road sign that had Horror stretch spray painted on it just outside of Marlborough. Picked up a ride with a guy in an old landcruiser heading to Mackay and I drove because he was tired . Got the full history on the way. He had a theory on Deliverance type hillbillies coming out at night and stalking motorists and hitchhikers. I had hitched roads all over S.A. Vic, and N.S.W and I don’t know if it was my imagination but it really was creepy country….
Author
19/02/2015
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holidayroad@y7mail.com
Hey Thanks for commenting,very interesting
I travel this road a few times a month from Mackay down to the Clark Creek may downs road area. supplying fuel to farmers. funny thing is I am from Melbourne and never thought I would end up working in this area. And I grew up in the area that was the Olympic village so I was very surprised when I first saw the Olympic monument at Croydon station.
I came across this article after someone had posted shots of an abandoned house near Lotus Creek on the facebook page”Australian OLD Houses And Sheds”, check it out if you haven’t already joined.
Sadly, the last roadhouse, Lotus Creek itself, was destroyed in massive floodwaters resulting from Cyclone Debbie in 2017, up to 1000mm fell in the Pioneer Basin, the flood even completely destroying the bridge over the creek.
The stories of this stretch of road are fascinating and I am now searching for more!
Cheers!
Great story and has made me remember back to May 1966 when I had just arrived in Australia from London and I wanted to visit Cairns. So bought a dilapidated old Austin A40 and drove up from Sydney however I only got to Gladstone when the engine died. After spending most of my cash fixing it ,filled up the tank and with only $2 left in my pocket headed along the Crystal Hwy towards the north,around the Connors River bridge I picked up a hitchhiker who was going to Sabrina. He turned out to be the foreman of the bridge gang that was working on the Connors Bridge and after I had told him. My story and the $2 he offered me a job. Of course I jumped at it and he loaned my money to buy food and provisions and advised that a truck brings the beer and tucker every Wednesday thereafter.
We lived in a Main Roads Dept caravan just south of the bridge and the other blokes in the gang taught. Me how to bbq and cook for myself and we went pig shooting. The work was fairly hard as we had no power tools and had to replace hardwood timber planks onto the deck of the bridge with Bruce and Bits,I had blisters galore.
I would drive the boys into Mackay most weekends so they could go to the races and have a few drinks and while they were gambling away their money I would drive around the beaches sightseeing. It was all so different for the city POM.
Thank you for the information supplied by you all. We went on this stretch today on a motorcycle. Wow very bumpy. Went past the first servo that looked abandoned. Then the one at lotus creek. Was interesting seeing all the old cars at both places as if the people just got out of their cars and left. The cars are very rusty. I must say I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing that stretch at night or without company.
We moved back to NSW from Cairns and in planning the drive back down made sure we were well fuelled to drive through this part of the trip without having to stop for anything & I mean anything. I accept that we are decades on from what has been reported to have happened, however it is an unsettling and nerve racking drive for me. Nothing untoward happened thank goodness
Wow it wasn’t isles it was the Ayles and I lived their with my Aunty and Uncle who ran and we all lived in the first two rooms of the Motel most of my family were there at one stage. Was one of the best places to live with my Aunty’s and Uncle’s and cousins we then all branched out from there to Mackay and Sarina ohh n lived in a fish humpy at Dingo Beach with a man named Hutch my mother’s boyfriend at the time for 8months
We called this Servo Barmount or The Halfway House as it was approximately halfway along the stretch I have recently just aquired some photos of our years out there in the early 80’s I will see if i can upload them and if any of them show some of the parts where you have taken photos of.
I remember a horrific accident not far north from Stockyard roadhouse on a trip (with my parents to Sydney in 1967 in a 1954 short wheel base Landrover) where the occupants in the front seat of the vehicle had been partly beheaded in a rollover..quite a shock as I was only 14..We travelled the horror stretch quite a few times over the 60s on trips south.. in the mid 80s I worked with a Broadsound shire road maintenance crew, under a foreman named Len ( surname withheld )
from Alligator ck..We lived at various council camps from Collaroy to May Downs and Dysart to St Lawrence ..in our own caravans ..good crew of blokes,,,
Sandy was at Lotus creek then and the camp was across the road.
Dave ( surname withheld ) was and I believe still is living at Conners river where he and I would trap pigs in the area etc ..smoke our own meat with different sawdust flavours from the old sawmill..Caught up with him again in the late 80-early 90s.. Hope to go back this year to see the old stamping grounds and people..