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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
By MICK ROBERTS © THE tamed applause from opera at a Ballina theatre, was replaced with the raucous shouting, laughter, and bawdy tunes of a pub in 1895. Where Gilbert and Sullivan’s lolanthe had entertained from the stage, beer suddenly… Read More ›
THE magnificent art-deco Royal Hotel at Condobolin was nearly lost earlier in the year when it was closed for business. David Price, who has been licensee of the Royal since mid 2018, had different ideas though. He had been managing… Read More ›
By MICK ROBERTS © ONCE a landmark on the lonely road from Bourke to Queensland, flames and controversy abruptly ended over 130 years of history at Barringun’s Tattersall’s Hotel. The original historic timber inn was tragically reduced to ashes on… Read More ›
By MICK ROBERTS © BY the 1870s most Australian pubs were going by unimaginative names like the Royal or the Commercial. However, there was one Newcastle pub, which opened in 1877, that bucked the trend, and was given the tantalising… Read More ›
The Midnight Prowler IT was dark when Burnett, and I pulled up at Sunder’s pub and asked the distance to Muralla. We had just finished a droving contract and were bound for that one-horse township to see if we could… Read More ›