Business
16 May, 2026
Pub with plenty of cheer
A HUSBAND-and-wife team is breathing life into the historic Aloomba Hotel, about a 30 minute drive south of Cairns.
Since Leanne and Steve Borgmeyer officially took over the rundown pub in the canefields on Tuesday last week, much-needed renovations have started as well as regular trading hours.
In recent times the pub has sporadically opened for business, but now trades seven days a week from 10am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and from 11am during the week. It closes at night depending upon the level of patronage.
The Aloomba couple, who ran “a stressful earthmoving contracting business” decided it was “time for a change”.
“I thought we should buy a pub … Steve was not convinced,” Mrs Borgmeyer said.
“But the customers are coming back, a lot of people have been coming in and saying it is great to see the pub open,” she said.
“We’ve got our regulars and we’re running a footy tipping competition as well.
“On Fridays we’re finding quite a few young people from Gordonvale (about 6.7km north).
“The locals are happy as there are now regular opening hours and we are also getting a lot of older people.”
Mrs Borgmeyer said Saturday was the busiest, especially in the afternoon when meat tray raffles were sold with proceeds going to local organisations such as the Aloomba State School ($300) and the Gordonvale RSL sub branch ($476).
The beer garden has been given a makeover with new furniture and shade sails.
The dining room is to get new carpet and a pool table. The renovations have revealed a bricked centre pillar and an old style casement window which are now features.
Mrs Borgmeyer said a fully-functioning kitchen was six months away and in the meantime a food truck would visit every couple of weeks.
The couple, with the help of generous friends, are slowly upgrading the living quarters to stay in. New furniture will be added to the veranda as well.
“We want to keep as much of the old hotel as possible,” Mrs Borgmeyer said.
Peter Dragojlo owned and operated the pub for more than 35 years until selling to the Borgmeyers.
The town’s general store and post office closed in 2009 and the pub also has the responsibility of collecting and receiving the town’s mail.
Only the pub and state primary school have kept the town’s heart beating.
Despite a dwindling population and a declining town centre, Aloomba has a strong community spirit.
Like many small Australian towns, the pub is the hub of activity.
Aloomba is an old school pub. It has no pokies, just the essentials.
The Aloomba Hotel was built in 1899 by 27-year-old Cairns’ businessman and sugar cane farmer Charles Vesey Hives of Wright’s Creek. It was a two-storey timber structure.
On December 4 1929, fire completely destroyed the pub. A new, grander structure replaced the original and was opened on 9 August 1930. The pub burned to the ground for a second time in 1948. The new (and current) hotel was a single storey brick building with a bar, lounge and two rooms of accommodation for the public. It opened in 1954.
