- Laura discovered her local pub, the Black Stump Hotel, had a wild claim to fame
- It boasts the highest bar in the Southern Hemisphere – and a 1970s documentary even captured one man riding his horse inside
- Inspired by the story, Laura trotted in on her horse Larry – and now they’re celebrities themselves!
Here Laura Spence, 30, tells her own story in her own words.
Looking out across the wonderful lush green land, I felt instantly at home.
‘I love it,’ I smiled to my partner Ryan, then 28.
His family had been farming crops on the land near Merriwagga, NSW, for generations.
Surrounded by forest and a one-hour drive from the nearest town of Griffith, it was stunningly beautiful.
I’d met Ryan in March 2023 and immediately fell for his kindness and warm smile.
We’d been together for three months and, now seeing how much he loved his farm and the area, it made me love him even more.
Growing up in Shepparton, Vic, I adored the country too.
When I wasn’t working as a paramedic nurse, I loved to go barrel racing on my horses Larry and Gunner, both 12.
That night, Ryan suggested we go to the pub for dinner.
As we walked into the Black Stump Hotel, the whole town of only 30 people were there, including Ryan’s parents Johnny and Karen.
‘You must be Laura,’ the landlady Sharon said from behind the bar.
‘Welcome to Merriwagga.’
The pub was jam-packed with memorabilia – half a racing car and a motorbike dangled from the ceiling and old photos of when the pub opened in 1926 adorned the walls.
But it was the 1.3 metre high bar that I couldn’t tear my eyes away from.
Despite only spending a few days in Merriwagga, it had well and truly captured my heart.
I’d never seen one so tall.
‘It’s the highest bar in the Southern Hemisphere,’ Sharon beamed proudly.
She explained that, according to local legend, when the pub was being built, men working on the nearby railway were so rough that the high bar was installed to stop them jumping over it.
‘The other theory is that, back in the day, stockmen used to ride into the pub and have a drink on horseback,’ Sharon said.
Though she couldn’t be sure what was true, as she’d only become the landlady in 2004, the folklore had even attracted the attention of international media.
In the 1970s, the BBC had featured the hotel in a documentary and one local, Roy Little, had appeared on film.
A stockman, he’d ridden into the pub on his horse in his shorts and hat, and had a schooner on horseback at the bar to recreate the local lore.
‘I bet it was quite the scene,’ I laughed.
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Despite only spending a few days in Merriwagga, it had well and truly captured my heart.
So just a few months later, I packed up my life and moved in with Ryan.
As Larry and Gunner galloped around the paddocks, it was clear they loved it as much as I did.
And Ryan even set to work building me a training area for barrel racing.
The whole pub were delighted when I did well.
I got used to my new life of working as a paramedic in Cobram, Victoria.
When I returned to the calm of Merriwagga, I felt so at peace.
We always popped into the pub and it felt like coming home to a big extended family.
‘How did you go in the barrel race?’ Sharon always asked.
The whole pub were delighted when I did well.
One day, we had Larry in the trailer and decided to stop in for a tipple at the pub.
Wanting to pay homage to the local legend, I got on Larry’s back and rode him into the bar.
As he clip-clopped through the hotel, the locals were thrilled.
‘Great Northern?’ Sharon said as I approached.
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The bar was the perfect height for Larry to stick his head over and chomp the carrots and apples Sharon had for him.
‘He’s got more manners than some of the punters,’ she laughed.
The tourists who had stopped in for a meal were gobsmacked, snapping away taking photos.
I felt like a real celebrity.
And Darcie, the bar server Kate’s three-year-old daughter, was so excited when we popped her up on Larry’s back.
He didn’t mind the extra attention one bit, and it was a joy to see the reaction his visit got from the locals who had made me feel so at home.
Larry isn’t the only animal to frequent the Black Stump Hotel.
One of the locals, Barry, takes in his three-legged kelpie Gal and another local takes in their black goat – we all love them!
Like most country pubs, the hotel is so much more than a drinking hole.
When someone has bad news, gets sick or loses a loved one, all the locals rally around them.
We make sure to celebrate each other’s wins too.
Ryan and I love living in Merriwagga with our four dogs Hazel, Tom, Lil and Johnson.
It’s a tiny town with a big heart.
Sharon says:
I’ve been running the Black Stump Hotel for 20 years and I love it – the town is like one big extended family.We often get tourists from all over Australia and overseas, who love the high bar.
When it’s harvest season we’re rushed off our feet.
I look after all the workers – I even do their washing.
I love listening to everyone’s stories, and at Christmas I invite any of the locals to come and share it with me so they’re not alone.
We love having horses outside or in the pub.
It’s wonderful when Laura comes in on Larry, he’s so well behaved.
We love our pub and our town.
