THE sign "cold beer" rears up out of the heat haze.
It's a welcome sight while travelling the Cobb Highway - one of the flattest stretches of country in the southern hemisphere.
The historic Royal Mail Hotel at Booroorban, in NSW, is roughly midway between Deniliquin and Hay and is the last of the original Cobb & Co staging posts on that route.
The 142-year-old Riverina pub is operated by Roger and Mandy Trist.
During the footy season, Mandy lays out bar mats for each AFL team, so patrons can drink at their favoured spot.
She also keeps an ear tuned to channel 19 on the UHF radio, for truckies ordering a meal or a "coldie".
In a place where summer temperatures can reach 49C, Mandy carefully wraps all takeaways in butcher's paper, finishing with an elastic band.
She is also quick to whip up a meal at any hour for travellers and is famous for her chicken parmigiana.
Mandy and Roger have been "parents" to many kangaroos over the years, orphaned as babies when their mothers were killed on the road.
"There is always a baby kangaroo hanging in a bag over the back of chair somewhere in the pub," Mandy said.
The isolation doesn't faze her - groceries arrive by truck and Mandy likes to shop over the internet.
Once known as Pine Ridge, Booroorban lay directly on the route first followed by early overlanders droving stock from Queensland to Port Phillip.
An uncertain water supply made the route hazardous until a well was sunk at Pine Ridge in 1859.
By 1861, rival coach companies, providing passenger services six days a week, were watering 30 horses daily at Pine Ridge.
Englishman Samuel Porter took over the Pine Ridge Inn in 1865 and built the Royal Mail Hotel in 1868.
At one time there were at least nine hotels between Deniliquin and Hay, but the Royal Mail is the only one from the Cobb & Co era still standing.
The original Cobb & Co stables, complete with feed troughs and harness, can be seen today at the back of the hotel.
Mandy and Roger always enjoyed their visits to the Royal Mail while operating a building business in Deniliquin.
"I discovered the hotel was for sale, so I went out for a visit on a whim," Mandy said.
"I had a quick look and said, 'I'm done, I'll buy it' - it had character and I just loved it."
Mandy and Roger ran the business as a general store while a new licence was being processed.
"It was closed as a hotel for 3 1/2 years, but we hosted social gatherings to keep the community together," Mandy said.
"We got the licence approved in the November and I kept it a secret until the local Christmas parties were on.
"It was a very moving time - every minute was worth it, especially the reaction of the older locals.
"They were all thankful to have their pub back."
With a population of 80, Booroorban rode on the back of the rice industry until the drought forced local farmers into dryland cropping and livestock.
"It's been tough - a lot of people have sent stock away on agistment and this has affected our business a great deal," Mandy said.
"We find it hard to be price-competitive out here, so we have come up with other ideas to keep the pub afloat.
"We have 2.4ha of garden and have developed a pet-friendly caravan park for travellers."
Mandy dreams of building a golf course at Booroorban so people can play socially - and forget the drought for a while.
