At 20 years old, Kelsey may be one of Australia's youngest publicans

In a tiny north Queensland town, laughter and country music erupt from a pub surrounded by deteriorating empty storefronts.

Mingela, population 14, sits off the Flinders Highway between Townsville and Charters Towers.

There's no school, no police station. The only surviving business in the once-thriving town is the Mingela Hotel.

For the past 12 months, the local pub has been closed, leaving the town quiet.

That was until 20-year-old Kelsey Brown took over ownership in May.

"There was always so much potential to it I just thought, 'Wow, that would be cool,'"

she said.

Ms Brown first visited the pub before she was 18 and was inspired by the stories she heard from patrons.

"Just the stories that everyone around here has, like, it's incredible," she said.

Truck driver turned publican

At 20 years of age, her purchase makes her one of the youngest publicans in Australia, although information from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation cannot provide the exact age of the youngest pub owner.

The former truck driver said she never considered she might be one of the youngest pub owners in the country.

"I wouldn't really say I thought about it too much, to be honest," Ms Brown said.

"I just saw an opportunity and thought I'd take it, but that's pretty cool."

She spent more than a month doing renovations with the help of her family, trying to keep as much of the original pub as possible.

"It's just old and worn. It's been very loved,"

she said.

Bull rides and bikers

The original pub was a two-storey structure built in 1894 and was called the North Australian Hotel.

In 1941, the building was destroyed by fire and the town's dance hall was moved into its place. It still serves as the pub today.

Prior to Ms Brown purchasing the business, Ivan and Moana Buisson operated the hotel for 33 years until Ivan died in 2025.

Mingela was first known as Ravenswood Junction and was once a thriving service town connecting the goldmining town of Ravenswood to Townsville via a railway line.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the town would come alive for the annual May long weekend, hosting the Mingela Rodeo, an event that inspired its own country song by Reg Poole.

Now, the town serves as a rest stop for travellers and hosts hundreds of motorbike enthusiasts at weekends.

On the pub's opening weekend, Ms Brown welcomed more than 200 bikers.

Melany Ison from Charters Towers has been visiting Mingela with her husband on their motorbikes for the past seven years.

"As soon as I got my two wheels I was like, 'We're going to Mingela,'" she said.

She was surprised to find how busy the small town was.

"Because Mingela is off the highway, you just tend to go past," Ms Ison said.

"When I actually came in I thought, 'Oh my gosh, look at this little place, it's buzzing.'"

Ms Ison said it was a very different scene while the pub was closed.

"You'd see so many bikes and cars, hot rods, caravanners stopping and then realising there's nothing here and keep going," she said.

"It was sad to see."

So news that the pub had reopened was welcomed by the biker community.

"It was just amazing to hear all those bikes [again]," Ms Ison said.

"Mingela has come alive again."

Ms Brown hoped to bring more events back to the town, with plans to install an outdoor stage and a campground.

"It's part of trying to put Mingela back on the map," she said.

"Without [the pub], there's nothing really going on here."