In the dark and dusty corners of Depression-era Sydney, where work was scarce and bellies often went empty, some men had to get creative to survive. One such man was Charles G. Wheeler, a 61-year-old slaughterman from Burwood. His trade,… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
MOSTLY out of pubs, Illegal SP (Starting Price) bookmakers operated for much of the 20th century, particularly from the 1930s until the introduction of the Totalizator Agency Board (TAB) in the 1960s. An SP Bookie (Starting Price Bookmaker) refers to a bookmaker who… Read More ›
By MICK ROBERTS © FATE dealt an elderly pensioner a cruel and fatal blow outside a Sydney pub just three days before Christmas, 1948. Like today, Surry Hills at the corner of Crown and Cleveland Streets, outside the Crown Hotel,… Read More ›