A pleasant 27 kilometre drive inland from the Pacific Highway at Macksville in northern New South Wales is the sleepy hollow of Taylor’s Arm. The Taylor’s Arm hotel proudly wears the moniker of ‘The Pub With No Beer’. When we … Continue reading The Pub With No Beer
The Tarwin Lower pub in Victoria overlooks the muddy reed banks of the Tarwin River. Between the bar and the lounge there is a fabulous triple fireplace. The three brick chimneys entwine and twist toward the ceiling. Two old codgers sit silently at the bar. On the dot of noon a breezy young barmaid flies through the front door and they both burst into animated conversation. It’s amazing what a woman can do. Continue reading Wonder Woman
We tour Berrima in the NSW Southern Highlands and explore the old cemetery. The oldest grave that we can find is 1805. There are stories of tragic deaths and drownings in the young colony. In town we visit the Surveyor … Continue reading Surveyor General Inn
Any Victorian who has ever towed a ski boat from Melbourne to Echuca* and back would know this pub. This imposing edifice dominates the town of Rochester and as you can see in the photo, this is where anyone heading south … Continue reading Shamrock Hotel, Rochester
Melbourne is being lashed with rain and we’ve had more than our fair share driving down the Hume Highway. It is nothing short of ‘lovely weather for ducks’ and dozens of them feed on the lawn in the rain as … Continue reading Seven Creeks Hotel, Euroa
Last year we popped into the Loddon Bridge Pub at Bridgewater on Loddon for a winter warmer. We were intrigued by the timber bar top and that it was chained down at one end. The lady behind the bar explained … Continue reading Loddon Bridge Hotel
A cold wet and wintry afternoon is saved by an exceptional dinner at The Top Pub in Uralla, NSW. Like Country Life magazine, an elegant dining room warmed by an open fire, good wine, good food and that reserved New England feel. The kitchen has obviously been outsourced to a good chef and Woody complains that he must pay for the meal at one window and the drinks at the bar. The polite and efficient waitress agrees with “Yeah, it really gives you the shits doesn’t it.” Continue reading A Top Pub
We were in the north of Western Australia and chatting with friends that we’d met on the road. They were from Perth and were talking longingly of visiting Melbourne. “Oh”, we cry with delight “We must take you to a gastro pub.” Our new friends stare at us in shock and horror. Melburnians are indeed proud of their Gastro pubs. Tired old hotels are given a makeover and a top chef is employed to produce high quality gastronomic meals. Fine food is served in a pleasant and somewhat refined atmosphere and patrons will happily travel across town just to judge … Continue reading Gastro Pubs
A meal in an Aussie pub has always been somewhere that one can get a decent steak with chips or a damned good roast. The fish and chips have always been a mainstay but in more recent times, over the last 20 years or so, there has been an interloper. The Parma. Based on the Italian Veal Parmigiana the Aussie Parma has morphed into a square meal of grand proportions. It is best described as a flattened and crumbed chicken breast smothered in a tomato based sauce and topped with grilled cheese. Sometimes you may find a thin slice of … Continue reading Explaining the Aussie Parma
In the Victorian High Country there is a free camp beside the Cobungra River. But just across the river is one of the prettiest little pubs in Victoria. We haven’t been there for a while, I think I can hear … Continue reading Blue Duck Inn at Cobungra
