The Leap Hotel, west of Mackay, Queensland.

 

 

The Leap Hotel is located about 23km west of Mackay on the Bruce Highway, and was our campsite for the night. The pub was established in 1882 and houses a great deal of memorabilia and local stories, as well as good food and cold drinks. We drove from Camila Beach to The Leap via Mackay, stopping to stock up on some groceries and fuel.

There is a big camping area to the side of the pub and it is free, although it is nice to get a drink or two and maybe a meal. 

There is a good flat area at the top for self contained vans and a smaller slightly sloped area further along. We were at the end of the flat area and had this view. As it became darker this area filled up with backpackers and little mini vans. It was a great over-nighter.

The tall 360 metre mountain behind the pub is officially known as Mount Manadarana, but known locally as the Leap, so it made sense to call the hotel The Leap Hotel when it was opened in 1886. However, the story behind the Leap is a very sad story and sadly incidents like this were common in the early days of European settlement. 

The sad story behind the Leap is well documented inside the pub and the monument stands outside. It tells of the early settlers, and the interactions with the local first nations people. After some research, I found many different versions of the story depending on who wrote it and when it was written. 

In January 1860 Scottish born John Mackay left Uralla, south of Armidale N.S.W, heading north to claim land in Queensland for grazing cattle. His expedition arrived in May 1860 and quickly marked out large tracts of land for grazing. Mackay returned in 1862 with 1200 head of cattle. He sold the land shortly after and changed professions to become a mariner - later Captain John Mackay. 

It is believed that more than 200 Aboriginal men, women and children of the Yuwibara peoples lived in the area when the European settlers arrived. In our travels we have found that Aboriginal communities were often disbanded across the eastern states in the early days of European settlement, either due to land clearing, fear of stock pilfering, or fear of the indigenous people themselves.

By 1867 native police (Aboriginal troopers and white officers)  were patrolling the area. History has shown that most of the native police were cruel and violent. In July 1867, it was reported that Aborigines were killing cattle. The troopers invaded the camps and the Aboriginal people fled to the mountain, Mount Mandarana, yet unexplored by the European settlers. 

The troopers followed them up to the top of the mountain and all but one women, carrying a small child, scattered in all directions. Her name was reported to be Kowaha, and she had the choice of surrendering to the brutality of the troopers or jumping from the mountain. She chose to jump with her baby. Kowaha died on the rocks below. However her baby survived by being caught in some branches. A local farmer rescued the child and later adopted her.

The locals called the mountain The Leap and the Leap Hotel is a a great place to read about the legend and to see the local memorabilia.