A group of drunk plumbers armed with a letter "S" turned an outback Queensland pub into the Sexchange Hotel.

Legend has it that it was 1976 when the Exchange Hotel in the small Cape York town of Coen was renamed and became a joke of the state's north.

Coen's Sexchange Hotel has become a tourist attraction for its name and friendly atmosphere. Credit:Facebook

"There were a heap of plumbers in town and there was a rumour going around that they were going to put the S up in front of the sign on the roof," publican Barry Mulley said.

"Then two days later it went up. It is by far the most photographed thing on the cape."