Ooraminna Junction Hotel: NT’s history almost goes up in flames

A HISTORIC Northern Territory pub which featured in several movies narrowly missed burning to the ground after a large fire broke out and a passer-by raised the alarm

The Ooraminna Junction Hotel narrowly missed being burnt to the ground yesterday after a passer-by noticed a fire. Picture: Supplied

A HISTORIC Northern Territory pub has narrowly missed burning to the ground after a large fire broke out yesterday.

The Ooraminna Junction Hotel — which was used as the movie set of Ted Egan’s iconic Aussie tale The Drover’s Boy and Warwick Thornton’s film Sweet Country — was minutes away from being completely gutted by fire at about 4pm on Monday after a blaze broke out in a film set building nearby.

A still from the film Sweet Country at the Ooraminna Junction Hotel, south of Alice Springs. Picture: Supplied

Ooraminna Station Homestead owner Nicole Lorimer said the historic Territory pub, located 35km south of Alice Springs, was only a few meters away from the fire and would have surely been destroyed if a passer-by had not noticed the smoke.

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“A couple of travellers stopped by to camp in the Ooraminna campground, drove up to the homestead and alerted the owners of smoke coming from the film set pub,” she said.

“They said that as it was a film set they initially thought that a film was being made but quickly realised the emergency when they noticed no one about.

Actor William McInnes on horseback on location at Ooraminna during filming of film The Drover's Boy. Picture: Barry Skipsey McInnes

“The owner had a mobile firefighter trailer ready for emergencies and managed to help save the pub with the assistance of the grey nomads until the fire brigade arrived and put the fire out.

“We are very grateful to the Fire Department and Bushfires NT who attended so quickly to help save the historic Ooraminna Junction Hotel.”

She said the cause of the fire was still unknown.