QUEENSLAND

Barcaldine DUI Lawyers

In shortBoorman Lawyers are experienced, dedicated drink driving, drug driving and DUI lawyers who regularly appear at Barcaldine Magistrates Court and represent clients facing alcohol, drug and serious traffic charges at this courthouse. Barcaldine Magistrates Court is a circuit court: a Magistrate from Brisbane sits there on set dates, and its files are run by the Longreach registry. We assist clients at Barcaldine Magistrates Court by appearing at court mentions, guilty pleas and sentencing hearings, preparing comprehensive sentencing submissions and character reference material, advising on compulsory licence disqualification periods and mandatory alcohol interlock rules under Queensland law, and preparing section 87 restricted work licence and special hardship order applications.

Court: Barcaldine Magistrates Court, Ash Street, Barcaldine Qld 4725 (PO Box 187). Registry and files: Longreach, 91 Galah Street, (07) 4568 9300.
Sittings: circuit court on set dates in the 2026 calendar; hearings are adjourned to Longreach.
Licence: disqualification is mandatory; readings of 0.10 or more also mean immediate suspension and the interlock.

Queensland law · law checked 20 Oct 2026

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What's on this page

What happens to your licence after a Barcaldine charge?

It depends on who you are behind the wheel and what you blew. The table shows the licence consequences for a first offence under the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (TORUM).

If you are…	Before court	Disqualification on conviction (s 86)	Work licence (s 87)	Afterwards
An open licence holder, 0.05 to under 0.10	24-hour suspension	2 – 9 months	Possibly, if eligible	Probationary licence for at least 1 year
An open licence holder, 0.10 to under 0.15	Licence suspended until court (s 79B)	3 – 12 months	Possibly; subject to interlock	Probationary licence and 12 months on an interlock
Any driver at 0.15 or more	Licence suspended until court	At least 6 months	No	Probationary licence and 12 months on an interlock
A learner, P-plater or probationary driver, over 0.00	Suspension (24 hours below 0.10)	3 – 9 months	No (no open licence)	Back on a probationary licence
Driving a truck, road train, bus or tractor, over 0.00	Suspension (24 hours below 0.10)	1 – 9 months	No (particular vehicle)	Probationary licence
A repeat drink driver (within 5 years)	Licence suspended until court	Longer ranges; possible impoundment	No	Interlock

The details are set out by Transport and Main Roads on its being charged with drink driving page. Fines and prison maximums for each offence are in our QLD drink driving penalties guide.

Can you keep working if you drive for a living?

That is the real problem in the Central West. Station hands, contractors, transport drivers, tradespeople and health workers can drive hundreds of kilometres a week. A restricted licence under section 87 can let an open licence holder keep driving for work, but the rules are strict. According to TMR, you cannot get one if:

you were driving a truck, tractor or other particular vehicle, or driving in the course of your work, at the time;
your reading was 0.15 or more;
you had a licence suspension, cancellation or disqualification, or a drink, drug or dangerous driving conviction, in the past 5 years.

If you are eligible, you must prove extreme hardship to your livelihood and that you are a fit and proper person to drive, by affidavit, at the sentence hearing and before the disqualification is ordered. A restricted licence holder must not drink any alcohol before driving. Our restricted work licence guide explains what evidence to bring. Because Barcaldine sits only on circuit dates, the application has to be ready for the day.

What if you slept in your car after the races?

Being in the driver's seat with the keys can still be an offence. A person who is "in charge" of a motor vehicle while over the limit can be charged under section 79 even if the car was not moving. The rules and possible defences are explained in our guide to being in charge of a vehicle while over the limit. Get advice before pleading.

How does the interlock affect remote drivers?

If your reading was 0.10 or more, or you are a repeat offender, you must drive with an approved interlock for at least 12 months of driving after your disqualification (TORUM ss 91I and 91N). The device must be fitted by an approved provider and serviced regularly, which can mean travel. If you do not take part, you cannot drive for 5 years. Our QLD alcohol interlock guide covers costs, servicing and exemptions.

How does the Barcaldine circuit work?

Barcaldine does not sit every week. According to the 2026 calendars:

a Magistrate from Brisbane circuits to Longreach monthly, also sitting at Barcaldine, Blackall and Winton on set dates;
all Barcaldine matters are listed for the general callover at 9.00am unless otherwise stated;
the Barcaldine sitting dates in 2026 are 10 February, 18 March, 12 May, 17 June, 11 August, 16 September and 24 November;
any matter set for hearing is adjourned to Longreach, where a hearing date is allocated;
all Barcaldine files are held and processed by the Longreach registry.

If your matter is adjourned, the next date may be months away, or at Longreach. Keep any immediate suspension in mind: it continues until the charge is finished.

Which courts are near Barcaldine?

Longreach Magistrates Court DUI – 91 Galah Street, about 104 km; holds Barcaldine's files and hears its contested matters
Alpha drink driving charges – about 138 km
Winton drink driving matters – 59 Vindex Street, about 264 km; circuit court served from Longreach

All other courts are listed in our QLD courts we attend directory.

Queensland penalty changes in 2026: check your offence date (law checked 20 Oct 2026).

Offences on or after 31 August 2026: higher maximum fines apply. They are 20 penalty units ($3,454) for the general alcohol limit and no alcohol limit offences, 28 ($4,835.60) for the middle alcohol limit and 40 ($6,908) for driving under the influence of liquor or a drug. A first general alcohol limit conviction (0.05 to under 0.10) on an open licence now carries 2 to 9 months' disqualification. For offences before 31 August 2026 it was 1 to 9 months. Police can now give an eligible first low-range driver on an open Queensland licence an infringement notice of $1,295 instead of a court charge. Unless the driver elects to go to court, a 2-month disqualification follows. It counts as a conviction, and there is no work licence for that period. Drug driving (a relevant drug present) has not changed yet. The maximum is 14 penalty units ($2,417.80) or 3 months, with 1 to 9 months' disqualification on an open licence and 3 to 9 months for learner, P-plate and unlicensed drivers.

Offences on or after 1 December 2026: minimum fines start for drink and drug driving. For example, the minimum is 7.5 penalty units for low range and for drug driving. The drug driving maximum rises to 28 penalty units, and a first offence on an open licence carries 2 to 9 months' disqualification. A new offence of driving with a relevant drug present while over an alcohol limit adds 1 month to the disqualification range.

An offence committed before a change is generally dealt with under the penalties in force when it happened. Sources: TORUM ss 78E, 79, 79B, 79H–79J and 86, as amended by the Queensland Community Safety Act 2024 and the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026. Penalty unit $172.70 from 1 July 2026.

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Barcaldine drink driving FAQs

Who do I contact about my Barcaldine court date?

The Longreach registry handles Barcaldine files: Longreach Magistrates Court, 91 Galah Street, Longreach Qld 4730, phone (07) 4568 9300, courthouse.longreach@justice.qld.gov.au. The Barcaldine court email is courthouse.barcaldine@justice.qld.gov.au.

Will my case be heard in Barcaldine or Longreach?

Guilty pleas can be dealt with at a Barcaldine sitting. If you plead not guilty and the matter needs a hearing, the 2026 calendar says it is adjourned to Longreach for a hearing date.

Can I get a work licence if I drive a road train?

No. You are not eligible for a section 87 restricted licence if you were driving a truck or other particular vehicle at the time of the offence.

I blew 0.12. Can I drive until court?

No. A reading of 0.10 or more means your licence is suspended immediately until the charge is decided (s 79B). In limited cases the court can make a section 79E order allowing you to drive in the meantime.

Does a no-conviction order stop the disqualification?

No. The court can decide not to record a conviction, but the disqualification still applies under Queensland law. See our Queensland guide to avoiding a recorded conviction.

Sources and date checked

Sources and references for this page, checked 20 Oct 2026.

Queensland Courts – Magistrates Courts directory (Barcaldine, Longreach, Winton, Blackall) — checked 19 Oct 2026
Queensland Courts – Barcaldine Magistrates Court 2026 calendar (PDF) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Courts – Longreach Magistrates Court 2026 calendar (PDF) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (Qld) – reprint current from 21 September 2026 (ss 79, 79A, 79B, 86, 87, 91I, 91N) — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Government (TMR) – Being charged with drink driving — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Government (TMR) – Restricted (work) licence — checked 20 Oct 2026
Queensland Community Safety Act 2024 (Act No. 45), ss 93–104 – TORUM amendments commenced 31 August 2026 — checked 20 Oct 2026
Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026 (Act No. 23) – assent 21 September 2026; pt 10 div 3 commences 1 December 2026 — checked 20 Oct 2026
TORUM legislative history (commencement of amending Acts) — checked 20 Oct 2026

This page is general information about Queensland law only. It is not legal advice. Every matter turns on its own facts.

Barcaldine Magistrates Court — court details

Barcaldine Magistrates Court

Street: Ash Street, Barcaldine QLD 4725
Postal: PO Box 187, Barcaldine Qld 4725
Phone: (07) 4568 9300 (Longreach registry)
Email: courthouse.barcaldine@justice.qld.gov.au
Registry hours: Registry enquiries and filing through Longreach Magistrates Court, 91 Galah Street, Longreach
Days open: Circuit sitting days only (2026 calendar)

➜ Get directions

Queensland Courts, Magistrates Courts directory (saved 19 Oct 2026) and Barcaldine and Longreach Magistrates Court 2026 calendars (checked 20 Oct 2026). The directory gives 65 Ash Street and (07) 4651 2795; the calendar gives 35 Ash Street and (07) 4650 2795. These are the court registry's details, not Boorman Lawyers office details. Check your court papers for your listing time and courtroom.

QLD Traffic Law

Choose your QLD traffic law topicQLD

Guides for Queensland traffic law matters.

QLDDrink Driving OffencesRead guide →QLDDrink Driving PenaltiesRead guide →QLDDrink Driving DefencesRead guide →QLDDrug Driving Offences & PenaltiesRead guide →QLDNo Conviction Drink DrivingRead guide →QLDDUI Restricted Work LicenceRead guide →QLDSpecial Hardship LicenceRead guide →QLDAlcohol Interlock LawsRead guide →QLDTraffic Offenders ProgramRead guide →QLDAppeal Immediate DUI Police SuspensionRead guide →QLDDangerous DrivingRead guide →QLDDUI Court Process GuideRead guide →

Enquire about legal representation

Call 1300 941 900 or make an enquiry about legal representation.

What to have ready

Court & next listing date: Which court is on your paperwork and when your matter is listed.
Charge or reading (if known): Tell us the charge or reading if you have it — you do not need your full police facts yet.
Work & driving needs: Let us know if you rely on your licence for work or family responsibilities.

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