Wycliffe Well roadhouse sanctioned for selling booze to intoxicated customers

The NT Liquor Commission has imposed a string of sanctions on an outback roadhouse, including requiring anyone consuming alcohol to wear a wristband with a tally of drinks consumed.

THE NT Liquor Commission has imposed a string of sanctions on an outback roadhouse, including requiring any person consuming alcohol on the premises to wear a wristband with a tally of drinks consumed.

Wycliffe Well roadhouse, located about 130km south of Tennant Creek, serves as a petrol station, restaurant, pub, and holiday park, which has become known as the “UFO capital of Australia” for consistent sightings of supposed extraterrestrial activity.

The establishment came under fire in August 2020, after two police officers observed at least 30 people intoxicated and “about a dozen of them engaged in fist fights”.

Following a prolonged proceeding, the liquor commission last month imposed the wristband system, and added additional CCTV requirements to its licence.

The commission also imposed limits on the amount of liquor that can be sold to customers who dined in.

The restrictions included a sales limit of six mid-strength or four full-strength beers per person per day.

The commission determined the operators had breached the Liquor Act by failing to eject patrons when it was required and serving liquor to intoxicated customers.

Wycliffe Well roadhouse has come under fire for a series of breaches of the Liquor Act.

The licensee contended that all the patrons in question presented as a “functioning alcoholic”, and did not show signs of being intoxicated. The commission rejected this argument.

It was also found that patrons were not seated when consuming liquor, which was in breach of the roadhouse’s restaurant licence.

Acting Remote Sergeant Tony Delamere was one of the officers who observed the breaches while stopping at the roadhouse to re-fuel.

Sergeant Delamere, who has 25 years’ experience with the force, said he had never seen

so many intoxicated people at a roadhouse before.

He said 90 per cent of the domestic violence incidents in the nearby Aboriginal community of Ali Curung were alcohol-related.

The other officer, Constable Dean Garnsey, had been stationed at Ali Curung for ten months. He said the effect of alcohol on Aborginal community was “very high”. He added that there were 20-30 heavy drinkers in the community who would wait for the roadhouse to open “every day”.

Following the incident, the Wycliffe Well roadhouse manager said they chose to impose their own limit of three cans of VB per person per day, but later raised the limit to four cans.

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