Mad Monday names Cairns venue The Jack Hotel its fifth hottest pub in Australia

An upswing in questionable costumes can be expected after southern party animals cottoned on to a secret held dear by many a discerning connoisseur of the Far North pub scene.

AN UPSWING in questionable costumes can be expected after southern party animals cottoned on to a secret held dear by many a discerning connoisseur of the Far North pub scene.

The Jack Hotel has just been named the fifth hottest pub in Australia by Mad Monday – a national travel agency that specialises in footy trips, buck’s parties and hen’s nights.

The Cairns hospitality powerhouse has long been a bastion of the traditional end-of-season northern sporting team migration, and now its position as one of the best is secured.

Hotel manager Jay Gwyn said staff were thrilled to take out the number-five slot.

The Union Jack Hotel has been crowned the fifth hottest pub in Australia by Mad Monday travel agency, which specialises in footy trips, buck's and hen's parties. The Jack bartender Layla Wone, manager Jay Gwyn and bartender Kayla Wecker toast the pub's success with a cold drink in the beer garden, with some live sport on the big screens. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Those footy trips are massive at the end of the year,” he said. “It fills up the accommodation for us – especially in the last two years where we’ve had no backpackers for our backpacker hostel.

“They come and eat, drink at the bar and there’s obviously gaming as well.

“It’s great for us over that six or seven weeks from late September to all pretty much all of October.”

Mr Gwyn reckoned the plaudit was well deserved by his hardworking staff.

“I’ve run nightclubs and bits and pieces all over North Queensland and the Northern Territory and I always think this is definitely my sort of pub,” he said.

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Originally published as Mad Monday names Cairns venue The Jack Hotel its fifth hottest pub in Australia