‘Like bones breaking’: How Prickles survived historic pub’s record flood and became a Far North Queensland legend

The groundskeeper at one of Queensland’s oldest pubs is being hailed as a hero after helping rescue more than a dozen people – and a stray farm animal. WATCH VIDEO

The last man standing at a historic Far North Queensland pub besieged by “a raging torrent” has pledged to help its owner rebuild as the region recovers from record floods.

Lions Den Hotel groundskeeper Craig ‘Prickles’ Thorn helped rescue 13 people, his beloved dog, Free, and a lamb from rising waters this week and is considered a hero among his mates.

The 67-year-old guided staff and residents – including three elderly women – onto the Rossville tavern’s roof and was nearly swept away after slipping and falling.

As he fought to get out of the floodwaters, Mr Thorn said he was lucky to find his footing on a firm piece of fence.

“That gave me enough momentum to get back onto the roof of the pub,” he said.

“We were there for about four hours before the chopper came in. It came screaming in and landed on the kitchen roof.”

Mr Thorn watched one-by-one as evacuees were flown to safety but chose to stay and hasn’t left the property all week.

“It was just a raging torrent of big pressure waves,” Mr Thorn said.

“It was amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been up here for 20 years.

The historic Lion's Den Hotel has survived the largest flood that the Cooktown region has recorded, with the water from the Annan River rising as high as the pub's roof. Lions Den Hotel grounds keeper Craig "Prickles" Thorn, 67, has fun playing a waterlogged piano destroyed by flood waters. Picture: Brendan Radke

“I was sitting up on the roof listening to the shed crinkle and it sounded like bones breaking.

“It was like death knocking on your door … bloody terrifying.”

The speed at which the water rose took Mr Thorn and others by surprise.

“We’d been up on the roof the night before – the water level got quite high then as well,” he said. “The next morning we got up at day break.

“The water was ankle deep and within half-an-hour it was up to here,” Mr Thorn said pointing to his neck.

“That’s how quickly it rose. We had three old Indigenous ladies who we got up there.

“I stayed because I’m the most expendable. I haven’t left the site.”

Since the event Mr Thorn has been praised by locals for his wet weather efforts.

The historic Lion's Den Hotel has survived the largest flood that the Cooktown region has recorded, with the water from the Annan River rising as high as the pub's roof. Lions Den Hotel grounds keeper Craig "Prickles" Thorn, 67, enjoys a cold Great Northern beer at the public bar which is still covered in mud. Picture: Brendan Radke

“He won’t admit it but this bloke is an absolute hero,” said one man who asked not to be named.

A passer-by looking for his dog also referred to Mr Thorn as “a bloody legend”.

The Lions Den posted on social media they plan to reopen in some capacity prior to New Year’s Eve.

The historic Lions Den Hotel at Rossville in Far North Queensland has been ravaged by a record flood, caused by ex Tropical Cyclone Jasper. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Thorn has vowed he will stay on site until one of the oldest continuously operating pubs in Queensland is up and running again.

“I was meant to go down to Victoria on Monday last week,” he said. “(Owner) Judy (Fry) just said, ‘Stay if you can and help out with the cyclone’.

“And, of course, here I am. My car’s out the back. It’s completely gone. We lost seven cars here.”

The Lions Den Hotel opened in the 1880s serving nearby tin miners and has since become a bucket-list destination for tourists and Far North Queenslanders alike.

Originally published as ‘Like bones breaking’: How Prickles survived historic pub’s record flood and became a Far North Queensland legend