Breakfast Creek Hotel

The Breakfast Creek Hotel is a Brisbane landmark, standing at the northern end of the Breakfast Creek Bridge where the creek meets the Brisbane River. It was built in 1889 and 1890 for William MacNaughton Galloway, a seaman's outfitter who served as Mayor of Brisbane, and opened on 17 May 1890. The architects were Simkin and Ibler, and the building, described in both Victorian Filigree and French Renaissance terms, is one of their few known works. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992 and named a Q150 Icon of Queensland in 2009.

The pub has a long and eventful history. The 1893 flood left it seven to eight feet under water, with people sheltering on the upper floors, and Galloway died in 1895 after a fall from a second-floor window, after which his widow, Anne, took over the licence. The Cavill family has held the lease and licence for most of the time since 1926. In February 2022 the hotel flooded again, only the fourth time in its history, and hosted a benefit for the flood appeal. Over the 20th century its regulars included waterside workers, politicians and journalists, and it even appears in the 1987 Midnight Oil song Dreamworld.

What sets it apart today is the beer. The Breakfast Creek Hotel is described as the only hotel in Brisbane still serving beer off the wood, poured from a wooden keg, so ordering one is the obvious way to start a visit. Check with the hotel directly for current dining options, opening hours and any events before you go.

The pub suits groups of friends and anyone interested in old Brisbane. Its position at the meeting of creek and river, and the building's 130-year history, make it a good choice for visitors who want a traditional Brisbane pub experience.

Allow time to look at the building itself, which occupies a prominent corner at the junction of creek and river. The builders were Thomas Woollam and William Norman, and later changes included alterations tendered by architect Richard Gailey in 1926 and a cold room added in 1930. In 1900 the hotel was sold to the brewers Perkins and Co., and ownership disputes followed before the Cavill family's long tenure began.