Betoota Queensland

Betoota is a ghost town located in Central West Queensland, Australia, within the Shire of Diamantina near Birdsville. Situated on a gibber plain, it lies 170 kilometers east of Birdsville and 227 kilometers west of Windorah. Known as Australia's smallest town, Betoota features minimal infrastructure, including a racetrack, a dry weather airstrip, a cricket field, and the historic Betoota Hotel.

The town's history dates back to 1887 when it was surveyed, though only three streets were ever named. The Betoota Hotel, constructed in the late 1880s from sandstone with timber floors, is the sole remaining building outside the race track. In 1885, a customs post was established for toll collection on a stock route, and Betoota served as a Cobb & Co change station.

A police presence began in 1895 due to the influx of people during the construction of a rabbit-proof fence, though the police station closed in 1930 after five years without any arrests. The hotel operated until 1997 when its owner, Sigmund Remienko, retired. After his death, Robert Haken purchased the hotel in 2017 with plans to reopen it by August 2018, but delays due to paperwork pushed its reopening to July 2020.

Betoota also boasts heritage sites such as Burke and Wills' "Plant Camp." In popular culture, the town's name is used by The Betoota Advocate, a satirical news website based in Sydney, which claims to be Australia's oldest newspaper.