Author Archives
A journalist, writer and historian, Mick Roberts specialises in Australian cultural history, particularly associated with Australian pubs. Mick has had an interest in revealing the colourful story of Australian hotels or pubs and associated industries for over 35 years. Besides writing a number of history books, Mick has managed several community newspapers. Editorially, he has managed the Wollongong Northern News, The Bulli Times, The Northern Times, The Northern Leader and The Local - all located in the Wollongong region. As a journalist he has reported for Rural Press, Cumberland (News Limited), City Hub Sydney (City News), and Torch Publications (based in Canterbury Bankstown, Sydney).
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The Legacy of Singleton’s Club House Hotel: A Cricketing Tradition
For over 60 years, the doors of Singleton’s prominent watering hole — known originally as the Freemasons Arms, later the Cricketers Arms and later again as the Club House Hotel — were helmed by three consecutive publicans who weren’t just… Read More ›
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Chamberlain Hotel: Tales of Folklore and Thieves in Sydney
The Chamberlain Hotel is a heritage-listed landmark building located at the corner of Pitt and Campbell Streets in Haymarket, Sydney. Built between 1902 and 1904, it was designed to provide lodging and refreshment for travellers near Central Railway Station and… Read More ›
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History of Commercial Hotel Aberdeen: A Landmark Since 1839
The Commercial Hotel Aberdeen on the New England Highway began as the early Aberdeen Inn, constructed in 1837–1838 with hand-made bricks fired in a local kiln. Officially opened in April 1839 with Ralph George Martin as its first licensee, it… Read More ›
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Unveiling ‘E.R’: The Mystery Behind Bulli Pub’s Squat Tower
By MICK ROBERTS © I’VE been researching pubs for almost 40 years, and am amazed at how sometimes the simplest detail can slip you by! This is a story about the Bulli Family Hotel in the Illawarra region of NSW,… Read More ›
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The Taproom at the Edge of the Scrub: The Red Beret Hotel
TO understand the timber and iron of the Red Beret Hotel in Redlynch, one must first understand the iron and grit of the men and women who carved Far North Queensland out of the rainforest. The hotel’s story does not… Read More ›
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The Rise and Fall of the Exchange Hotel, Angledool
ANGLEDOOL’S Exchange Hotel served the bustling 19th-century pastoral and opal-mining communities for just over half a century before its sudden demise. Angledool is a remote rural locality and historical village in north-western NSW. Located on the Narran River, the village… Read More ›
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The Tragic Tale of Brisbane Publican Ann Witham and the Dunmore Arms
By MICK ROBERTS © Long before it became the bustling, beer-soaked corner of Irish Murphy’s, the intersection of Elizabeth and George Streets was born from grit, survival, and a widow’s desperate gamble. Armed with nothing but an empty property and… Read More ›
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History of The Whalers Arms Pubs in Sydney
By MICK ROBERTS © ALL within a short walk from Sydney Harbour’s docks, during the 19th century, once traded four pubs known as the Whalers Arms. Rubbing shoulders in the cramped, crowded bars and taprooms of the inns and public… Read More ›
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History of Parramatta’s Oldest Pub: The Rose and Crown
By MICK ROBERTS © THE war-veteran who established Parramatta’s Rose and Crown in 1841, Robert “One-Armed” Green, was appropriately laid to rest near his pub in the graveyard of the All Saints Church. Next time you visit this historic pub… Read More ›
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Discover the Keighery Hotel: A Piece of Sydney’s History
By MICK ROBERTS © Often mispronounced, there’s a pub in Sydney’s west with an unusual name. The Keighery Hotel in Auburn is named after one of Australia’s best-known racing identities of the first half of the 20th century. The Keighery… Read More ›