The landmark Sydney pub, the Imperial, at the corner of Oxford and Underwood Streets, Paddington was established by Henry Challener in 1874. Originally known as the Cross Guns Hotel, the name was changed to the Imperial in 1891. Edmund Resch,… 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 ›
THE son of Paddington publican, Joe Ryan was preparing the Rose and Crown Hotel for another day of business in 1952 when a regular customer walked into the bar, and placed a smoking gun on the counter. “Here’s the gun,… Read More ›
MENTION Randwick, and horse racing immediately comes to mind. Besides the historic track known as Royal Randwick, there’s another landmark in the Sydney eastern suburb that bears the same name, and has held an association with nobility for more than… Read More ›
Mysterious death at the Federal A POST mortem failed to reveal the cause of death of 48-year-old Henry Murphy, who was found in a bedroom at the Federal Hotel, Temora, NSW, in September 1948. A broken drinking glass and a wrapper of… Read More ›
A TERRIFIC explosion shook the Empire Hotel at Nowra on the NSW South Coast in the early hours of Friday October 10 1930. A bedroom, occupied by 63-year-old James McGregor, was completely wrecked when the explosion shook the pub to… Read More ›
Lucky find in hotel. During the demolition of the old Royal Hotel, Guyra, one of the workmen, in dismantling a window-sash in the bath room, found three half-sovereigns, the oldest dated 1883. Some traveller, possibly, had placed the coins on the window sill… Read More ›
TIME CANNOT BEAT IT. Bar-room Clock Nears Half Century. THIS is the story of a bar-room clock that is reputed to have ticked without relief through storm and stress, through boom and depression, for better or for worse, for 43… Read More ›
FOOTRAIL COMPARISONS: NINE HOURS IN A BAR ROOM: The writer, who describes herself as “An Amateur Barmaid”, took a position behind the bar in a well-known city hotel for one day in 1922, in order to gather material for this… Read More ›
Jack Bennett, of Bexley, believes that for many men the only escape from nagging wives is “the grog.” Bennett voiced this opinion as he downed a schooner in an Elizabeth Street hotel this week. Bennett was one of a number… Read More ›
By MICK ROBERTS © THE rivalry between Melbourne and Sydney is legendary. While Melbourne is often regarded as the fashion, arts, and cultural capital of Australia, Sydney may be called the finance and media capital – more a party town, I suppose. This can… Read More ›