Lost in Larrimah

Larrimah is a quirky little community but there’s no chance of a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment here. The hot pink pub makes sure EVERYONE notices she is there! We spent the night camped out the back of the Pink Panther Hotel and sampled their homemade lasagne for dinner - lovely! It is currently being run by a young Czech couple who clearly have their work cut out for them! It is definitely run down but it is the outback, people! Can’t understand whingers who carry on about “old facilities” etc. Previous trips have seen us slow down for a quick look and then keep going, intent on getting to Daly Waters further up the road. This time however, was different. We had been listening to a fascinating podcast called “Lost in Larrimah” and knew we had to stop when we got here.

A True Crime series, it explores the disappearance of Paddy Moriarty - a barfly local who vanished in 2017 along with his kelpie, Kellie. The thing about this is that there were only 11 people living in the town - and pretty much none of them got on with one another - so Paddy’s disappearance was a huge deal. Cue the town gossips, conspiracy theories etc etc. The interviews with the publican of the time (and Paddy’s friend) and other townsfolk were absolutely fascinating - such weird and wonderful outback characters you just couldn’t dream up. Everyone had a theory, from Paddy being abducted by angry truckies to perhaps ending up in a meat pie or two courtesy of a longtime feud with local baker Fran.

If you get the opportunity to visit this wonderful spot, including the museum across the road, don’t miss it - and listen to that podcast before you go!Read more