Prairie Hotel

We stayed three nights, and the generous food portions even left us with delicious leftovers for lunch on the trail the next day. After returning from the USA to live in Australia, we know Prairie Hotel is a destination we’ll keep coming back to. It’s family-run, and the team clearly puts care into training staff to deliver a great hospitality experience. The combination of country hospitality, fine food, clean and comfortable modern rooms, and good value is hard to beat. The quality for the price is remarkable this far into the Outback, even compared with highly rated places in the major cities. Spend your tourist dollars here and help keep Prairie thriving. It’s an investment in Australia’s tourism future. Well done, Fargher family.

The beer was a letdown too. I only tried the can of pale ale, which was just meh, and couldn’t sample the others because I was driving. The camel burger was alright, though if I hadn’t known it was camel, I’d have thought it was a mediocre burger with decent-enough chips. The so-called wild boar schnitzel cost $32 and was a dry, leathery deep-fried slice with no character, flavour, or moisture. The place felt like bewildered tour groups shouting into speakerphones, and the menu seemed overpriced and built around novelty. This used to be an iconic outback pub and a lively spot for travel stories and camaraderie. Now it feels like it’s lost its soul and is churning out food for tour buses. Maybe people enjoy it, or maybe tradition just says you have to stop here when you’re in the area. It seems to be trading on meat novelties and its reputation. We’d planned to stay the night, but I’m glad we didn’t. After finally making it here with time to spend, it was sad to find such a disappointing parody of an outback experience. Go somewhere else.

Ellie, Becky, and Manny were friendly, helpful, and always happy to chat. Their tips made it easier to get around the area. We based ourselves at the hotel for three days in the Flinders Ranges because we aren’t experienced campers, and really enjoyed our stay. It was clean and comfortable, a good place to rest after long days on the road. The food was delicious, especially the feral antipasto, and breakfast was included with lots of continental and cooked options. We’d definitely recommend it and come back.

The pub has some really good beers. Get there before sunset if you can, and enjoy one of the site-brewed ones as the sun goes down. The views are great, the menu is better than basic pub food, and I’d recommend eating there. Staff were pleasant to deal with. I couldn’t get a heritage room because there were no bookings left over the long weekend, so I stayed in the overflow accommodation instead. It was basic, but clean and comfortable. Good beer, views, and staff. I’d love to try one of the heritage pub rooms next time.