I liked the central location of this motel, but otherwise the experience was quite average. The rooms are tidy but not very special. You don't see the staff very often and the place does feel like a motel, not like a home. A good choice if you want to be close to the shops and restaurants, and just have a bed for a night or two.

You can see this motel on the left side of the highway on a little hill just when you enter Muswellbrook. This place was the very first I stayed at after moving to Australia from Europe, and it made all the difference and saved me from homesickness. Marcia and her husband make you feel like the place is really a home, not a motel. We stayed at an apartment for two weeks, and didn't want to leave. I loved chatting with Marcia, and she once fished a huge (dead) spider from the swimming pool after it had scared me to death :). A great place to stay!

This is a fairly new restaurant that is located inside the Shamrock Hotel building, next to the pub. It's small and homely, and you don't have to make a booking because there is always space. The food is very good. I've tried their singapore noodles and pad thai, and really enjoyed it. Many people like to start from the pub with a few drinks, and gradually move to the restaurant, so it's handy that they're in the same building. You always have to get your drinks from the pub anyway.

Approximate cost: $10-20

We were the only customers at the restaurant the only time I've been there, and I probably wouldn't go again. I was quite disappointed with the food. The lady who served us was very polite and friendly, but the food just didn't impress me.

This restaurant is on the main street and easy to find. They do take-aways, but I usually like to dine in because it just feels more "Chinese" to eat at the right setting. The menu is long and there's so many meals to choose from. You can also choose a combination plate with rise and meat, so you don't have to buy everything separately. The staff are friendly and you generally only have to wait a few minutes for your meal. They could probably make the restaurant look even better with some effort, but it's alright the way it is.

Approximate cost: $10-20

The most famous restaurant in Muswellbrook (wow!), Philippe Brasserie is a French style fine dining restaurant. We had our wedding lunch here, and weren't disappointed. Philippe does everything to make the customers happy. I've heard he's won various local awards for customer service, and he even sent all his staff to France for a few months to learn more about the cuisine. There's crocodile and rabbit on the menu, but you can also get more common things like a good steak or some fish and chips. People always order their birthday cakes from Philippe, too, and come here to buy cookies. You have to taste their Blackforest cake, it's the best!

Approximate cost: $20

We had to stay in this motel for a week when we first moved to Moranbah, simply because all our belongings were stuck in the floods somewhere in NSW. We were really keen to move into our own house, and I guess that affected our experience of this motel. The room was small and didn't have a kitchen, which we would have wanted to have. However, it was tidy and got cleaned properly every day. The aircons were working a bit too well, and we were frozen even though it was really hot outside (the cleaners always turned on the aircon while we were away). The miners living next door smoked heaps, so it always smelled like cigarettes. The best thing was that we could do our laundry for free, and the staff was always helpful.

I took my parents to eat chinese while they were visiting us from Europe. We ordered a family combo meal for four people. This was good value for money, and at the end we had our bellies full, and had to take two big doggie bags home with us. Their honey chicken is really nice, but otherwise the meals are not much above average. The service was friendly, and the tables were beautifully set up.

Approximate cost: $10.00

You'll find the Purple Grape inside the Moranbah Cinema Complex. It took me awhile to actually find it when we first moved into town, but people always kept talking about this great restaurant with the best lunches in town. The food is yummy, and it's a nice place to have a birthday lunch or chat with friends over a cup of tea. I don't drink coffee myself, but my friends say the Purple Olive have the only good coffee in town. The only bad thing is that not every dish on the menu is always available.

Approximate cost: $varies

I haven't bought any lingerie from this shop, but I really became to appreciate their delivery service and assistance when the father of one of our best friends suddenly died, and we needed to get the right flowers and message delivered to our friend. They have a book with photos of different bouquets that you can choose from, and they can make a really nice bunch even if you can't spend hundreds of dollars on your flowers. I got my wedding bouquet from here as well, and I still have it dried hanging from the wall after two years. I'm very pleased with this shop and recommend it to everyone.