Royal Hotel Mount Larcom

After the slightly longer stay at Rosedale, it was getting towards late afternoon by the time we arrived at the last pub for the day, and the northernmost point of the trip: the Royal Hotel Mt Larcom.

The Royal seems like a workers pub on the highway, just outside of Gladstone. It was another one of the single-story Royals that seemed to be the theme for the day. And as it was late in the arvo on a Friday, there was a bit more of a crowd at this pub than we’d had at the other Royals we’d hit so far. But the crowd was friendly and the locals were keen for a chat.

They had a sizeable beer garden out the back as well that, in hindsight, I wish he had made better use of. But the overall pub was fairly comfortable and a pleasant enough place to hang out with a schooner. And after a long day on the road, that was precisely what we were after.

There was a bit of history about the Royal Hotel Mt Larcom too with a connection to the Kelly Gang. But to be honest, I’m not entirely clear on what specifically that connection is. It was poorly relayed to me by John who had gotten his information from a pub regular who had been at the bar for presumably a fair while already that day. But the stubby holder I got says ‘Dan Kelly’ on it so I’m guessing he’s got something to do with it.

Edit: Since originally composing this post, I’ve done a bit of research and, according to an ABC story from back in 2005, there were apparently rumours that Dan Kelly and fellow gang member Steve Hart escaped the Glenrowan siege and made it to Queensland. In 1933 a guy walked into a Brisbane newspaper claiming to be Dan Kelly. The only evidence to support this were the initials ‘DK’ branded onto his butt. Because, I mean, who doesn’t have their own initials branded onto their butt? He apparently lived in the Brisbane-Ipswich area for 15 years before he was (wait for it) ‘decapitated by a coal train’.

Pretty sensational, but those were rumours at best. And even then, the furthest north they were reported was in Murgon. So Mt Larcom doesn’t even have the most creditable Kelly gang connection on this trip!

The Royal Hotel Mt Larcom is another one that fits into that middle category of ‘good, solid pub’. To be honest, we were all starting to drag a little bit as well after a long day of driving. So we may not have been in the best frame of mind to embrace the pub fully. That being said, it’s probably not going to be featuring in the Top 10 list. But it wouldn’t be anywhere near the bottom 10 either.

Royal Stats

• Town/Suburb: Mt Larcom, QLD
• Population: 332
• Date Visited: Friday, February 6, 2026
• Visited By: Cory, John, Bert, Turner, Big Al, Cam, Jon, and Bull
• Beer Sponsorship on Sign: Great Northern
• Beer Consumed at Pub: XXXX Gold
• Price of Schooner of Said Beer: $6.00 (Happy Hour)
• Unique Award: Most Dubious Claimed Link to a Bushranger
• Tour Progress: 76.1% (102/134)