By MICK ROBERTS © THERE’S a little country town in the NSW coalfields north-west of Lithgow that I reckon punches well above its weight. While many towns and villages struggle to survive in the mining settlements west of the Great… Read More ›
“Time gents, drink ’em up”, was the barman’s call as six o’clock approached and the taps were turned off for another day. The six o’clock swill was Australian and New Zealand slang for the last-minute rush to buy drinks before the… Read More ›
FISH WERE DRUNK IN RUM RIVER… THE people of Bundaberg (Qld) still tell the story of when the Burnett became literally a river of rum. On Saturday night, November 21, 1936, a fierce electrical storm broke over the district. Jagged… Read More ›
PROUD BEAUTY SCORNS THE DEMON RUM YOU can see Sydney’s only religious cockatoo any time in the saloon bar of the Assembly Hotel, Phillip-street. The cockatoo, called Smith, lives there, but he: Refuses alcohol of any kind, and cannot… Read More ›
RUM STORY OF A COW A roan cow stirred up plenty of excitement when it wandered into the bar and lounge of a Rockhampton pub, and finished almost “under the table”, reported the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin on August 12 1952…. Read More ›
PUTTING XXX INTO XMAS Licensee of Hotel Mosman, Mr. Michael O’Regan (left), issuing Christmas liquor to regular customers yesterday. Each customer receives six bottles of beer, one of gin or rum, one wine. In three days Mr. O’Regan has issued… Read More ›
He pub crawls at 100 MELBOURNE, Sat. – A centenarian who last week “lost” his appendix is a popular headache to his nurses. The centenarian, John Clancy, has a habit of going A.W.L. from the hospital for a pub… Read More ›
By Ken Schapel he charm of the Australian pub — distinguished from the hotel — lies in its simplicity. No criticism can divest it of that. The pub belongs to the country, the hotel to the city and bigger provincial… Read More ›
Take a gander at the pencil drawing, by long-dead and unsung artist, J. W. Laing, which accompanies this article. Believe it or not, that’s the corner of George and Turbot streets, in the City of Brisbane! And there stands the… Read More ›
A Morning Pick-Me Up “No, I don’t want a drink this morning yet,” says Peter the budgerigar as he perches on a glass. “But I’ll take my bath now.” In a tilted schooner of luke warm water, Peter washes himself…. Read More ›
THE hotel pictured on this page is undoubtedly one of the finest structures on the [gold] fields. Situated in a commanding position on a rise at the corner of Lefroy and Sylvester streets, its magnificent proportions compel the attention and… Read More ›