From prison to paradise: Torrens Creek pub ‘the Exchange Hotel’ gets new owners

They’ve fled the southern state to buy a pub 150km west of Charters Towers. But the new owners of the Exchange Hotel aren’t your typical Victorians. Hear their story.

Cliff and Priscilla Harrison have bought a pub. Behind them is the old dance hall they plan to transform into a general store.

It’s not every day your beer is poured by someone who’s spent years inside maximum security prisons, but the Torrens Creek Exchange Hotel is a unique place.

The new owners are a husband-and-wife duo fresh from Melbourne, where they worked as a prison guard and financial adviser respectively.

The move north began when wife Priscilla Harrison declared a sunny Queensland change was in order.

Husband Cliff decided it was time to lay his cards on the table.

“She was originally looking at a house in Yeppoon and was telling me about how I could transfer to Capricornia Correctional Centre,” Mr Harrison said.

Priscilla Harrison in the bistro area with some of their new dishes. Mrs Harrison said she always keeps casserole in the fridge for truckies needing a feed outside kitchen hours.

“I turned to my wife and said, ‘if we’re going to QLD, I don’t want to go back to working in another prison’ and she said ‘yeah, OK’.”

Their happy medium was to buy a pub.

Mr Harrison said after working inside Her Majesty’s Prison Barwon for so long, his opinion on people had ‘faded somewhat’, but his view took a sharp turn when they collected the keys in January.

“The friendliness of the community was unbelievable. They made us feel like we were welcome from day one. It’s really stunned us,” he said.

“Coming out here, it’s repaired my faith in society. Australia is truly alive in these outback places.”

New publican Cliff Harrison with some beer, wine, coffee and soft-serve ice cream from the newly installed ice cream maker.

The Harrison’s are not completely wet-behind-the-ears when it comes to hospitality.

Mr Harrison grew up in Darwin and Cairns, entering the workforce as a baker’s apprentice and pastry chef before becoming one of the first employees at Cairn’s Reef Hotel Casino.

Mrs Harrison worked in pubs from the ages of 14 to 20, and plans to bring some ‘Melbourne flair’ to Torrens Creek - which essentially means great barista coffee and a stronger ‘cafe vibe’.

Inside the Oasis Exchange Hotel as a road train pulls up outside and comes in for a hot lunch.

While being interviewed by the paper, the new owners juggled customers between each question: brewing coffee for the local cop, cooking big lunches for work crews, sandwiches for truck drivers and some lattes for a pair of grey nomads.

Mrs Harrison said there were only 20 people in Torrens Creek, but their regulars came from far and wide.

Grey nomad Richard Simpson stopped at Torrens Creek to see if his mate's name was still on the wall. "Mort is a special man. He's rotund, happy, drinks like a fish and loves his family," Mr Simpson said.

“A lot of our customers are travelling up and down the highway often. All the stations around here will drive 150kms for a dinner,” she said.

“Right now I’m starting work at 4am to make breakfast for a council crew who are staying with us while they mow the verges. Their workday starts at 5.30am.”

The couple decided to purchase the Exchange Hotel because of its highway exposure, fuel service (the only fuel between Charters Towers and Hughenden), campgrounds and budget rooms.

“It really is the gateway to the Flinders Shire,” Mrs Harrison said.

“My vision is to create a resort-style business here.”

The Oasis Exchange Hotel's pool. Mrs Harrison has visions of creating an 'oasis style' area around the hotel and through the campgrounds.

This has driven Mrs Harrison to spearhead a name change for the Exchange Hotel, dubbed it the reborn ‘Oasis Exchange Hotel’.

Since taking over, the new owners have made strides towards their paradise-esque vision by installed a slushie machine and ice-cream maker, spruced up the bistro area, and crafting a home-make extension to the bar.

“Cliff is in the process of becoming a Justice of the Peace so people can come to the pub to get their documents signed,” Mrs Harrison said.

“The next big thing is to set up a general store area in the old dance hall. We want to bring events back to the area and have free outdoor cinema nights. During Easter we’re planning a big camp and cook-up with a pig on the split.”

Inside the Oasis Exchange Hotel

Flinders Shire councillor Trevor Mitchell was also at the pub for a feed.

“Flinders Shire Council is aggressively supporting new business owners, we want them to have a go,” Cr Mitchell said.

“There were 40 new businesses started in the Shire last year - now that tells you something.”

Recently the council auctioned off 48 affordable blocks of land with bidding prices starting at just $9.

Flinders Shire councillor Trevor Mitchell said new residents are welcomed with open arms. "The general store is a great idea, because they'd have a lot of things just sitting in the store room that people want," he said.

Cr Mitchell said the last owner did a great job with the pub and the new publicans will ‘put their own spin on things’.

“There is a lot going on in the pub. Half of Germany has written their names on the ceiling,” he said.

For the new owners, they are finding life a lot better these days.

Inside the Oasis Exchange Hotel

“I didn’t think my retirement would involve working 130+ hours a week,” Mr Harrison said.

“But on the bright side, I get to work alongside my wife and I’m spending all my time with my family now.”

Mrs Harrison has been soaking up her new view of the night sky.

“Recently I was locking up the kitchen late at night and I sat down outside for a moment,” she said.

“I looked up at the stars, and they were beautiful.”

The Exchange Hotel is currently hiring and can provide accommodation to interested employees.

Originally published as From prison to paradise: Torrens Creek pub ‘the Exchange Hotel’ gets new owners