Pull up a chair at Gidgee House: supper first, the casino room upstairs
Supper comes first at Gidgee House on Oak Street, Barcaldine: pumpkin soup with warm damper, slow-roasted lamb, barramundi, sticky date pudding and a proper pot of tea. Afterwards, or before, climb the stairs to our casino room, where roulette, blackjack and poker are played on chips that carry no cash value, with a croupier at every table. Booking a table for dinner and asking for a seat at the tables upstairs are two separate requests, so tell us which one you're after. We are a physical venue only: nothing is played online, we have no pokies, and every guest is 18 or over.
Ever strolled the length of Oak Street at dusk, past the railway station and the old shopfronts, and wondered which verandah smelled of roast lamb? That would be us. Gidgee House sits on a corner block that has seen carriers, saddlers and dressmakers come and go, and we kept the wide verandah because everything good in this town happens in the shade.
Downstairs is the dining room: long tables, a pressed-tin ceiling and a kitchen that makes everything from scratch, from the pumpkin soup to the pavlova. Upstairs, in what used to be a wool buyer's sample room, sits the casino room, with one roulette wheel, two blackjack tables and two poker tables. It's a place you visit in person, and that's the whole point of it.
Play is on house chips that have no cash value, so there are no bets, no prizes and no winnings to chase, only good company and the odd friendly rivalry. We have no pokies and no gaming machines. Guests must be 18 or over, and nothing is played online, on an app or on this website.
The dining room
Supper from five, from a kitchen that makes its own stock
The upstairs room
Five tables under old timber beams and a wall of north light
The verandah
Tea and lamingtons while you wait for your table
The doorstep
One step down to Oak Street and the railway end of town
Downstairs
Order from a kitchen that starts at four
Trevor Gardner cooked in station kitchens and shearers' mess halls before he cooked here, and it shows. His camp-oven stews, his pumpkin soup and his golden syrup dumplings are the sort of food that makes a table go quiet for the first five minutes. Everything is made on the premises, and the menu follows what the district sends in.
Expect meat pies, roast lamb, corned silverside with white sauce, barramundi with lemon butter and a kangaroo fillet with bush tomato jam. Sweets run to pavlova, lamingtons, Anzac biscuits and sticky date pudding. To drink there is billy tea, plunger coffee, lemonade and raspberry cordial, all made here too.
Soup and damper
Baked fresh each afternoon, served while it's still warm
The roast
Slow lamb or beef every night the kitchen is open
Something sweet
Pavlova, dumplings and a pudding that sells out
Around the house
Have a look around
Our manners
Mind the house manners
Everyone who comes through the door is 18 or over, and we'll ask to see proof of age if there's any doubt at all, however many times you've been before.
Chips are for play only and carry no value outside the room, which means we never take bets, hand out prizes or pay out winnings of any kind.
Phones are welcome at supper but stay face down at the tables, so the game moves along and nobody misses their turn to act.
Be kind to the croupier, the kitchen and each other. Losing a hand is part of the evening, and everyone gets a laugh out of it eventually.
Visit
Come and find us
Where
47 Oak Street, Barcaldine QLD 4725
Call or write
+61 7 4651 7483 · bookings@gidgeehouse.com
Open
Tuesday to Sunday, 5 pm – 11 pm; closed Monday
First visit
Read what we hear at the door
What actually happens when I first walk in?
Olivia or whoever is on the door will say hello, check your name against the book and show you to a table. You don't need to decide about the upstairs room yet. Plenty of people eat first and wander up when they feel like it.
Do I have to book, or can I just turn up?
Walk-ins are welcome on quiet nights, but weekends fill early. Booking a table for supper is free and takes a minute. If you also want a seat at the tables upstairs, mention it and we'll note it down.
What should I wear?
Whatever you'd wear to a decent dinner in town. Clean boots and work clothes are fine, and so are your good shirt and a cardigan. The upstairs room can be cooler than you expect, so bring a layer.
Is there any money involved at the tables?
None at all. We play with house chips that have no cash value, there are no wagers, and no prizes. The winner of a tournament gets their name on the board, and that's it. It's purely a night out.
I've never played any of the games. Is that all right?
Absolutely. Our croupier and dealers will teach you roulette, blackjack or poker at your own pace, and nobody will rush you. Beginners usually start on blackjack, because the rules fit on the back of a menu.
The week at a glance
See what a typical week looks like
TuesdaySoup night in the dining room, with the roulette wheel open upstairs for beginners.5 pm
ThursdayBlackjack lessons at the first table, then a relaxed poker table for anyone who stays.6 pm
FridayThe busiest supper of the week, followed by the tournament ladder after eight.6:30 pm
SundayRoast night: the whole dining room gets lamb, and the upstairs room opens a little earlier.5 pm
Upstairs
Take the stairs to the casino room
The staircase is steep and the handrail is original, so take your time. At the top you'll find the casino room: a long space with north windows, dark green baize and lamps hung low over each table. A croupier stands at the roulette wheel, a dealer runs each blackjack table, and the poker tables are dealt by whoever's rostered, with a friendly hand to guide beginners.
Texas Hold'em and Omaha are the poker games on offer most nights, with Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw when the tables ask for them. Roulette and blackjack are open to anyone who has had supper or simply wants to pop up and watch. Chips are handed out at the top of the stairs and handed back at the end of the night.
Roulette
One wheel, a patient croupier and room to stand around it
Blackjack
Two tables, where first-timers are warmly encouraged
Poker
Two tables of Hold'em, Omaha and the occasional Stud night
The house swell report
Read the room like the sea
A long way from any coast, we still keep a swell report: a quick guide to how busy the evening is likely to be.
Sea state
Flat calmsoup, a spare table and no waiting
Gentle swellchatter upstairs, a short wait at the pass
Rolling seaevery roulette seat taken, so book ahead
Big surffull house; supper is still worth it
Chalked up at five sharp
Booking
Save a table for supper
Tell us the night, the number in your party and whether you'd like to spend the evening upstairs afterwards. We'll confirm by phone or email.
