Category: The Pubs

The Pubs, Vic2 Comments

The Royal Standard

Itching for Hitching

Mar, 2019, Toora, Vic The tiny milk factory town of Toora (If you’re old enough you may remember Tooralac powdered milk) seems to be battling for survival but it’s grand old pub, The Royal Standard Hotel, is certainly punching above its weight. A herd of us dropped in for a Friday night dinner and we weren’t disappointed by the menu. The seafood platter for one is big enough for two. The fish is locally caught and the meat supplied by nearby Foster butcher Prom Meats (whose sausages I’m sure I’ve written about in the past). Yes, good sausages do deserve … Continue reading The Royal Standard

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A bevi @ the Kevi

Itching for Hitching

One of our favourite watering holes is the historic Kevington Hotel (aka the Kevington Hilton) at Kevington in Victoria’s high country. Situated on a bend of the winding road that follows the wild Goulburn River ‘The Kevi’ is a welcome sight for the weary traveller. The front bar is a treat, adorned with gold rush photos of days gone by and once neighbouring valley hotels that have succumbed to fire. This is an area popular with deer hunters and on the wall hangs the head of a magnificent deer that wasn’t shot but the victim of a road accident not … Continue reading A bevi @ the Kevi

The Pubs8 Comments

The Stuff of Pub Walls

Itching for Hitching

Who needs a minimalist pub? Any good country pub worth its salt really should have local history displayed on its walls. Like the curiosity pubs of old there should be plenty to entertain the ‘out of towners’ and help them understand a little about the locals and their way of life. Sepia photos of wool drays up to their axles in mud. Beaming young blokes draped in dead rabbits or staggering under the weight of a fish. Dead livestock nailed to the walls. Heads of deer, snarling wild pigs and crocodiles that didn’t get away. At the Commercial Hotel in … Continue reading The Stuff of Pub Walls

The Pubs, Vic3 Comments

Port Campbell Hotel

Itching for Hitching

The Port Campbell Pub is only a block away from the NRMA Port Campbell Holiday Park. There’s a tang of salt in the air as we walk up the hill to the charming and welcoming old weatherboard. Inside it is warm and cosy and packed with tourists and locals. The meal is a little dearer than your average country pub, but the menu and quality is a cut above too. My braised beef cheeks on mash just fall apart by the forkful and they’re surrounded by fresh and tasty vegetables. A perfect meal to end a day of walking windswept … Continue reading Port Campbell Hotel

The Pubs, Vic7 Comments

Court House Hotel, Smythesdale

Itching for Hitching

Mar 2018, Smythesdale, Vic Returning from a month touring South Australia in gloriously warm summer weather… The Glenelg Highway in Victoria is in an appalling state and there are many sections of roadworks. We are detoured off the highway at Lake Bolac and when we eventually return to it at Gabbi Garmin’s insistence we are stopped by a policeman dressed in a pink T shirt who apologises for the lack of detour signs and sends us into the sticks once more. The sky is forbidding and the forecast is for a bout of seriously bad weather. We decide to give … Continue reading Court House Hotel, Smythesdale