Kajabbi is 120km north of Mount Isa and not far from the famous Battle Mountain where the Kalkadoons made their last stand against white invaders in 1884.

The pub in Kajabbi was named the Kalkadoon Hotel in their honour and throughout the 20^th century it was a great spot for people in town and surrounding districts to meet.

Sadly it closed in the mid 2000s as the local population dwindled.

Jeff Bambrick (whose son James ran for state parliament a few years ago and then narrowly missed out on Mount Isa City Council in 2020) bought the hotel with his wife in 2014 and has taken the best part of a decade to get it back up to scratch.

"It's been a massive journey, I've owned it eight years, I've been working on it for five years," Mr Bambrick said.

"We've pretty much rebuilt the existing building that was there and refurbished them."

Mr Bambrick said they had renovated it to resemble the old building with a few modifications.

"We used steel instead of wool because the white ants are pretty savage out here," he said.

"Except for the deck, which is timber."

The pub reopens 10am Friday, April 29 and people are coming from all corners for the reopening for what should be a huge long weekend.

Camping is available on the grounds though longer term Mr Bambrick is considering accommodation "down the track".

"The pub will be great for the town of Kajabbi and the surrounding districts," he said.

"It will be somewhere to come together."

The reopening comes as the nearby abandoned Quamby pub has also gained new owners and has plans to re-open in the coming months.

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