Australia's best pubs revealed

IN A new book, Lee Mylne looks at what makes a local drinking hole an attraction for tourists.

Larg's Pier Hotel

THE door to the bar opens in a burst of cool air, admitting a gaggle of merry-makers.

Soon we are doubled up with laughter, shamelessly eavesdropping on the conversation and good-natured antics of a group of race-goers who have dropped into the pub we're in.

It's hilarious and unexpected; a few minutes earlier, all has been quiet but the sudden burst of frivolity and banter has added life to our surroundings and we catch the mood instantly.

It's a cold night outside but the sudden influx of a new crowd of drinkers has brought warmth and new energy into the bar. The noise level rises, laughter rings out around the room, the barman throws a grin our way and the fire burning in the grate seems to glow a bit brighter.

Just another night in an Aussie pub, with an atmosphere all its own that's hard to beat.

It's a scene that is played out over and over around the country. Head to the pub and you're almost guaranteed there'll be someone looking for a chat on any topic you care to choose. Go solo, with a book perhaps, and you'll find somewhere to while away time in a cosy corner. Order a drink, a counter meal (or something more elaborate) and you're set.

Whatever your mood, you'll find a pub somewhere to match it.
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The Pub with No Beer, New South Wales

Sing just the first couple of lines of The Pub with No Beer, with its familiar country tune and it's almost certain that every Australian around you will be able to chime in with the rest of the lyrics.

Country singer Slim Dusty's mega-hit of the 1950s still resounds and pilgrims still make the trek to rural NSW to have a beer at the bar of the Pub with No Beer.

The road to Taylors Arm (population 50) and its famous country pub is a beautiful drive, along a winding route that runs for about 30 minutes from the Pacific Highway at Macksville, about halfway between Sydney and Brisbane. There's no fear of getting lost signposts herald your destination all the way.
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Mitre Tavern, Victoria

There's no question that Melbourne's oldest pub, the Mitre Tavern, is a pretty blokey place. In fact, on a Friday night when the after-work crowd packs into the beer garden there are about five men to every woman among the hundreds of revellers, says publican Ben Addison.
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Largs Pier Hotel, South Australia

For the best view of the majestic Largs Pier Hotel, you should be on the water. It's easy, then, to imagine how those arriving by ship would have seen it at the end of a long sea voyage like something from a dream, a magnificent mirage shimmering on the waterfront to greet them.

Some still see it that way, as passengers on cruise ships coming into Port Adelaide are frequently among those dining at this wonderfully restored seaside pub. With its three-storey arcaded facade, the Largs Pier looks more like a European palace than an Australian hotel.
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Mundaring Weir Hotel, Western Australia

When Jens Jorgensen bought the run-down old Mundaring Weir Hotel in 1984, there were rusting car bodies on the lawns, the patrons were mostly bikie gangs and it was on the verge of closing down.

"It's more than 20 years since I last served a patch," he says now, surveying the two-storey brick pub, with its sweeping gardens and 2000-seat amphitheatre at the back. "It's a family pub now."

The amphitheatre has been a key part of the revival of this fantastic pub in the heart of Mundaring State Forest, surrounded by jarrah trees, about 45 minutes from Perth's city centre. About a year after buying the hotel, Jorgensen hit on the idea of holding a concert and has not looked back.
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Daly Waters Historic Pub, Northern Territory

Bras hanging above the bar have helped make this one of Australia's most talked-about pubs, but a young barman confesses he's never actually seen any female patrons leave one.

The bras, the lone parking meter out the front and the mock traffic light "Australia's most remote" all signal that a sense of humour is a handy thing to have when you drop into the Daly Waters pub.

One of Australia's best-known outback drinking holes, the Daly Waters pub is about 600km south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway, a good stopping point for those taking a through-the-Centre road trip.

Thirsty travellers have been breaking their journeys here since 1930, while the Daly Waters airstrip was a stopover for early aviators, as well as being a wartime bomber base.
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Story Bridge Hotel, Queensland

Tradition features strongly at the Story Bridge Hotel. Not only is the third generation of the Deery family at the helm but one of the strangest traditions of Australia Day, the Australia Day cockroach races, is still going strong at the hotel 30 years after it began.

Built under the pylons of its namesake bridge, the hotel is now one of the last remaining family-owned and operated hotels in Queensland.

Built in 1886, the pub was originally called the Kangaroo Point Hotel but changed its name in 1940 to coincide with the opening of the Story Bridge, an event at which 600,000 people turned out for the walk across.

The pub's classic Queenslander-style architecture is now rare, with the hotel said to be one of only seven three-storey hotels remaining in the state from this period.
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Bridge Hotel, Tasmania

A ghostly jilted bride, tales of murder, fires, flood and more for such a quiet and peaceful spot, the Bridge Hotel at Forth has seen and survived a lot.

Established in 1872, the hotel has been a favourite meeting place for all types and is a good stopping point between Devonport and Cradle Mountain on the old coastal highway. Set on the banks of the lovely Forth River, it also has a reputation as one of Tasmania's top live music venues. And then there are its famous meat pies.
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Wig & Pen, Australian Capital Territory

Good things come in small packages. That's the philosophy behind the Wig & Pen, a Canberra brewpub.

The brainchild of microbiologist and enthusiastic "beer aficionado" Lachie McOmish, the Wig & Pen has been part of the Canberra social scene for nearly two decades. In 1991, McOmish began thinking seriously about establishing a microbrewery in Canberra. The dream came to fruition as the Wig & Pen a few years later, after he had successfully sourced the essentials: premises, a brewer and the brewing equipment.

A charming and cosy shopfront in the heart of the national capital was found for the home of the new venture and a brewer was found in Richard Pass, a talented home brewer with a keen palate. The necessary equipment was sourced from the extract-only Craig Brewery in Sydney's Darling Harbour, which closed in 1992, and was adapted to be able to create the Wig & Pen's full mash brewhouse.