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Top Sunday Drives to Country Pubs

ERxterior facade of The Bull & Barley Inn in Cambooya

Updated: May 21, 2025

For a Sunday drive with a difference, head to the country for some fresh air, beautiful scenery and some good old-fashioned hospitality at an historic Aussie pub.

Right on Brisbane's doorstep, Toowoomba is an easy and picturesque 1.5 hour drive from the CBD, so why not grab your friends or family and book a table at one of these 5 popular pubs on the outskirts of town:

Meringandan Hotel, Highfields

While mum and dad enjoy the shade of the beer garden and tuck into a menu packed with pub classics, the kids can get up close to barnyard animals such as chooks, goats and the two resident camels, Chips and Gravy. Be sure to book ahead, as the Meringandan Pub is known to pack out seven days of the week for their lunch and dinner service

Just 30 mins from Toowoomba, you'll enjoy good old fashioned style hospitality at the Bull & Barley Inn, which has been beautifully restored to its original grandeur. Experience the authentic 1900’s old world atmosphere with displays of interesting historic photographs. You can choose from a variety of wines and wide selection of beers on tap or grab a cold drink from the original cedar chiller box and sit back on the open veranda and enjoy the spectacular views across the Darling Downs. Comfortable accommodation is also available

One hour south-west of Toowoomba in the small town of Millmerran, you’ll find local favourite, the Mill Inn Tavern. Sit back in the beer garden and watch the kids (young and old) try their hand at a round of 9-hole mini golf, open seven days a week

If you’re looking for a pub that’s rich with heritage, the kind that has walls that talk, put down this blog post and start making tracks to Rudd’s Pub in Nobby, 35km from Toowoomba’s CBD. This pub is so synonymous with Australian pub culture, it played muse to writer Steele Rudd who wrote his famous Australian book series, On Our Selection, inside these very walls. You could say his characters Dad and Dave were born here

The heart and soul of Laidley Valley, you’ll find this classic country pub just over an hour’s drive west of Brisbane’s CBD. Considering the Lockyer Valley is touted as the salad bowl of Queensland, it’s no surprise to find farm-fresh produce across their pub menu. To see the pub come to life, time your visit for one of the regular live music nights, family-fun days or the twice-yearly Outback Bull Ride

And with all these fantastic pubs to visit, please ensure you have a designated driver for the road trip. Remember – don’t drink and drive!

More Great Southern Queensland Pubs Here

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