The Leap Hotel, THE LEAP VIA MACKAY, QLD

The Leap Hotel - image 1
1 photo
3.9 16 ratings
Write a review Add pictures

North of Farleigh on the Bruce Highway is The Leap township and home of the legend of The Leap. A site that echoes of great tragedy that lives on from days long past, the best place to hear the yarn is at the character-filled Leap Hotel.

Pull up a stool, check out the mini-museum of pioneer memorabilia and order a cold pint of beer to be washed down with hearty pub tucker. What you'll get thrown in for free is laid-back Aussie hospitality and a lesson in local history that'll have you looking up when you leave.

As legend has it, in 1867 settlers decided they'd had enough of local Aborigines spearing their cattle for food. One raid in particular caused so much consternation among the farmers that matters came to a head and police got involved.

The troopers tracked the natives to the top of the mountain that looms where the hotel stands today. From high up near the clouds, a tribeswoman named Kowaha reportedly hurled herself from the sheer cliff face, rather than surrender to authorities. With her baby in her embrace, she leapt from Mt Mandarana and fell to her death far, far below.

Incredible as it may seem, the baby girl survived her and was taken into care by the wife of a trooper. The Leap Baby, as she came to be known, remained in the district until her death in 1928.

Since that fateful day of confrontation the area has become known simply as "The Leap", a place where visitors come to learn of and ponder about the mysteries surrounding events in Mackay's heart-rending past.

Show me pubs near me

Do you own or manage this Pub? Request editing access or log in if you have an account.

Reviews (5)

The Final Leap of Death

I am an Aboriginal Mother of four children, recently on our holiday to Townsville we drove past this place, at the time my husband had been driving and I had been enjoying the scenery, for some strange reason I kept staring at this cliff face in awe, next minute we drove on around the corner and there's a six foot statue of a full blood aboriginal women holding a baby in her arms, next to them was a big sign The Leap
( like it was a great thing that happened here). All at once I became overwhelmed, couldn't stop myself from crying, thinking of that predicament that Woman was forced into. Only God knows the entire truth. Never the less, a woman was murdered,blood was shed, probably not the first probably not the last , and in rememberence of this great pioneering era a 'you bewt aussie pub had been erected and stories of a shameful past were retold over a pint or two . WHITE AUSTRALIA HAS A BLACK HISTORY. How would white Australia appreciate it if We erected a pub in memory of Capt Cook and call it ' THE SPEAR'.

Sonya Coghill 7 October 2010

OMG

The mum did it because she didnt wont the polic to get her and she thought that they would take her baby so she jumped off thinking that she and her baby would die :(

Zoe Brennan 29 July 2010

omg

omg lucky for the baby,omg keani why did the mum do it weird!!!!!!
i wouldent of done that lol

claudia jeffries 4 June 2010

wow thats soo inte3resting

wow thats soo inte3resting omggg it freaky at the same time i drove past that and it felt like she was sitting right next to me !!

anonamys 4 June 2010
Write a review Add pictures
Interested to know how much could you get for your venue?

Pubs near “The Leap Hotel”