“QUONDONG HOTEL, 33 miles from anywhere. Half-way house on the Menindee to Broken Hill coach line.” – The Sydney Mail, Wednesday, October 26, 1910. By MICK ROBERTS © ALL that remains in the arid outback surrounds of where the Quondong Hotel… Read More ›
SYDNEY: Sydney publican Max Shepherd, of the Northern Club Hotel [George Street], is providing super deluxe service for patrons. It includes: Films in the bar. Tape recordings of descriptions of past sport events. A pianist and piano-accordionist playing and singing to lounge… Read More ›
Sporty, a fox terrier cum kelpie, of Tea Gardens, is offered a class of beer by his owner, Mrs. W. Morton. Sporty is a regular daily drinker of middies at a hotel at Tea Gardens. Customers say he really appreciates… Read More ›
By MICK ROBERTS © BETWEEN voyages an old sea captain was a regular visitor to the bar of Sydney’s Club House Hotel during the 1870s and 80s. Accompanying him, sitting on his shoulder – like all good seafaring captains of the… Read More ›
A group of slightly drunk looking men, three sitting on Tooth & Co., beer barrels at Morpeth (near Newcastle). Photo: University of Newcastle collection. “The police report for 1903 shows there was an increase of 800 in the number of… Read More ›
THE six o’clock swill was an Australian and New Zealand slang term for the rush to buy drinks at the pub before closing time. During a significant part of the 20th century, most Australian pubs turned off the beer at 6pm, which… Read More ›
THE Occidental Hotel, after more than 60 years as a licensed house in Ballina, has now been closed, and the license surrendered. On the water front, the Occidental in early days was the gathering place of seamen of the… Read More ›
FOR AN UPDATED AND MORE DETAILED VERSION OF THIS STORY, VISIT: Outback Sands Reclaim Yanco Glen Hotel IN January 1987, with a group of friends travelling outback NSW, we stopped at a memorable little galvanised iron pub, with the tiniest… Read More ›
NSW politician Les Jordan caused a stir in 1954 when he suggested that barmaids should be dressed in black and be over 60. The Country Party (forerunner of today’s National Party) MLA was commenting on one of the provisions of… Read More ›
By MICK ROBERTS © THE host of the Illawarra Hotel, Hilda Condon brought a touch of glamour to the New South Wales Liquor Royal Commission. The Wollongong socialite splashed a little razzle-dazzle – with her trademark styled blue hair, expensive… Read More ›