NED Kelly continues to fascinate our readers. The story of the Australian bushranger’s association with the Glenrowan Inn is our most popular story on the Time Gents website.

We wind up another successful year with a look at our overall top stories since our establishment.

Since we published the history of the Glenrowan Inn and its host Ann Jones in 2020 it has continued to be our most popular story.

We’re finding that a few old favourites, like I allus has wan at eleven’: The story of Sam Knott who enjoyed his beer at 11 and The ‘sign-board’ banter between Chippendale’s Broadway Hotel and Barnabas Church continue to make the list of overall top stories. Although we are also finding a few new-comers have crept into our ‘Top 8’ this year.

Stories marked with an asterisk are ‘premium content’, available exclusively to Time Gents subscribers. Tap or click into the stories to find out how you can access exclusive content by becoming a premium subscriber for only $1.

If you do not want to become a premium subscriber, there’s plenty of free content available in our ‘top 8’ list this year.

1. The story of Ann Jones, Ned Kelly and the Glenrowan Inn *

THE Glenrowan Inn where the bushranger Ned Kelly’s ‘last stand’ took place in 1880 is arguably Australia’s most infamous pub. While the history of bushranger Ned Kelly is well documented, the story of host, Ann Jones, and the Glenrowan Inn, just over 230km north-east of Melbourne, near the Warby Ranges of Victoria, has been largely untold. Now a vacant paddock, where the pub once traded has been probed and prodded by countless historians, archaeologists and enthusiasts fascinated by the infamous bushranger. It’s the pub, and Mrs Jones though, that takes my interest. The timber inn traded for less than two years, although many histories wrongly state that it was rebuilt and traded as a hotel after it was reduced to ashes in Ned Kelly’s 1880 last stand. While it did continue to provide accommodation after it was rebuilt, its days as a licensed hotel ended with the Kelly siege.

2. ‘I allus has wan at eleven’: Story of Sam Knott who enjoyed his beer at 11 *

HAVE you wondered about that old weather beaten bloke standing at the bar in those Carlton and United Brewery posters? You know, the one proclaiming ‘I allus has wan at eleven’? His name was Sam Knott (also known as Sam Griffin), an Englishman who had arrived in Australia about 1890 to try his luck on the goldfields, and this is how he became an early 20th century ‘super model’ for a Victorian brewery. Not having much luck on the goldfields, Sam found employment as an odd-jobs man at the Aberfeldy hotel, located in a small town on Mount Lookout, 125km east of Melbourne. Back in the days before it had united with most of Melbourne’s other breweries, Carlton eventually came across old Sam, who by this time had drifted over 150kms from Aberfeldy, and was yardman or odd-job man at the Upper Yarra Hotel, in the Warburton Ranges.

3. Early pubs of Hobart: The romance of Tasmania’s hostelries 

THERE is a romance about the old hostelries of Hobart, and if their walls could talk they could tell the story of the city itself, for since the days of Bobby Knopwood, Hobart has had its “pubs” – and many of them. As far back as 1835, before Hobart had begun to feel its growing pains, there were 89 licensed houses. By 1946 there were 64

4. Thirsty gold mining district of Kalgoorlie had almost 100 pubs last century

LEGEND has it that at one time you couldn’t throw a stone in the Western Australian goldfield towns of Kalgoorlie and Boulder without hitting a hotel. After the discovery of gold in 1893, pubs began springing-up all over the frontier twin townships, and by the end of the 19th century there were reportedly over 45 watering holes within Kalgoorlie alone! With a population of 31,666, the Kalgoorlie Licensing District had 97 pubs in 1911. In comparison, Perth in 1911, with a population of 47,882, had just 50 hotel licenses.

5. George Adams’ Tattersall’s Hotel & his magnificent marble bar

FROM a humble innkeeper on the NSW South Coast with a keen interest in horse racing, to one of Australia’s wealthiest businessmen, the story of George Adams centres firmly on Sydney’s Tattersalls Hotel. Having a punt at the pub while enjoying a beer, studying the form guide and attempting to win a ‘few quid’ on the horses has filled countless Australian bar rooms on a Saturday. Adams can thank his horse-racing interests for taking him from rags to riches, and earning him the status of one of Australia’s first millionaire publicans. He would later be known as “The Man in the Hat” – an imposing, tall, bearded gentleman, with flaming red hair, who went on to found the Tattersall’s Sweepstakes.

6. The ‘sign-board’ banter between Chippendale’s Broadway Hotel and Barnabas Church *

THE friendly contest of chaffing – perfected and usually kept within the bar-room – spilled outside onto one of Sydney’s busiest streets during the 1980s. Chaffing – the pleasure of teasing each other in a good-natured way – has long been a past time of Australian pub drinkers. A publican and Anglican minister, who performed their duties opposite each other, began trading witticisms about 1980 by means of signboard slogans that entertained thousands of people who travelled along busy Broadway.

7. Outback sands reclaim ‘The Beer With No Pub’, at Yanco Glen

SADLY the striking red sands and hardy outback desert shrubs have reclaimed where once the Yanco Glen Hotel served-up icey cold beers to weary travellers. Made nationally famous by the iconic promotional photograph of legendary country music artist, Slim Dusty leaning on the bonnet of his ‘Old Purple’ outside its doors, I was lucky to have visited the Yanco Glen Hotel only a few years before its closure and eventual demolition. In January 1987, with a group of friends travelling outback NSW, we stopped at this memorable little galvanised iron pub, with the tiniest of public bars, and with only cold canned or bottled beer available to wet our dry, dusty throats. A crudely painted sign at the front exclaimed: “Yanco Glen Hotel, Cold SA and Vic Beer, Soft Drinks, Toasted S’wiches, Ice.”

8. Evolution of the Australian beer glass

THE ‘long sleever’ was an impressive looking beer glass that stood 45cm high and held an Imperial pint, or 20 fluid ounces. In colonial times, when visiting the pub, beer drinkers usually had the choice of a pint or half a pint, delivered in pewter tankards, or large glasses, known as ‘long sleevers’. The various names given to the vessels that held our beloved beers have also lead to much confusion for visitors to Australian shores. In fact, glass sizes have caused just as much confusion amongst interstate travellers, where names can differ considerably. Colonial drinkers began enjoying their ales and porters in glass when standard pint and half-pint vessels were imported from England and Germany during the 1860s. There were also ‘nobblers’, small glasses containing one fluid ounce.

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Categories: Australian Hotels, Publicans

Tags: aussiepubs, australianhistory, australianpubs, bushrangers, Glenrowan