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 General Gordon’s back! The Pride of Sydenham rises from the ashes
WHEN the General Gordon Hotel opened for business at Sydenham in 1932, “news travelled like wildfire, and thirsty individuals scrambled for places in the bar”, the Sydney Sun newspaper reported. The reason? There was free beer served between 5.15pm and… Read More ›
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Feature pub: Former Aberdare Hotel, Weston, NSW
THE Aberdare Hotel at Weston, NSW, was built by Englishman, John Champion who came to Australia at the age of 21 in 1876. Champion was coal miner, who later went into business, hosting the Rose, Shamrock, and Thistle Hotel at… Read More ›
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Feature pub: AB Hotel (Ancient Briton) Hotel, Glebe, NSW
Originally named the Ancient Briton, this Sydney hotel has served the local community since the 1860s. It remains trading at 225 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe. “From 1898 Tooths began its move to control the drink trade in Glebe and by… Read More ›
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Tragic death of the founder of Prospect’s Royal Cricketers’ Arms
FORMER publican, Jim Manning had been missing for over 24 hours when his son discovered his blood saturated body in bushland in Sydney’s west in 1927. Jim’s death at the age of 73 was a tragic end to the life… Read More ›
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Queensland pub recalls the tragic death of an Aboriginal woman
I SUPPOSE it should be expected that a pub named after a tragic event in Australian history, should harbour a few stories of misery alongside tales of cheer. The Leap Hotel, located on the Bruce Highway, about 20 kilometres north-west… Read More ›
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Melbourne’s historic Mitre Tavern has served-up beer for over 150 years
LEGEND has it that Melbourne’s historic Mitre Tavern spawned the name of a well-known Australian hardware store. The story goes – well, according to the pub’s folklore – that two of the founding members of the hardware store, Mitre 10… Read More ›
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Pub compliance crackdown this Australia Day
Liquor & Gaming NSW inspectors will be active over the Australia Day weekend to check venues are complying with liquor laws and COVID public health orders. Liquor & Gaming NSW Director of Compliance, Dimitri Argeres, said inspectors will be out targeting… Read More ›
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Road Trip: The pubs of far north Queensland’s back country
By MICK ROBERTS © THEY’RE a hardy bunch, those who call far north Queensland’s back country home. They have to be. It’s harsh country, as we discovered on our road trip to Chillagoe, 200km west of Cairns, late in 2020…. Read More ›
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Kalgoorlie’s pub riots: WA Premier threatened at Wilkies in 1898 and two men killed during 1934 racial riots
A NUMBER of disturbances between miners and the authorities in Kalgoorlie centred on the pubs – the diggers unofficial meeting places. One of the first occurred in March 1898 when Western Australian Premier John Forrest visited the goldfields to officially… Read More ›
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Constables nabbed for New Year’s Eve drinks at Erskineville’s Imperial Hotel
FOUR Sydney police constables were caught-out on New Year’s Eve 1929 when they called into an Erskineville pub for after hours’ celebratory drinks with the publican. Constables Robert Ramsay, Alfred Costello, William Mowbray and William Grover were each fined 10… Read More ›