The best country pubs in New South Wales
Country pubs — they’re the beating heart of most Aussie regional towns. Laidback, friendly and packed full of stories, they’re the ultimate destination for your road adventure or a welcomed respite along the way. We’ve rounded up some of our favourite watering holes across the state to grab a steak, some cold refreshment, or an overnight stay.
Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads
Every now and then, a headliner act will announce they’re breaking from the city-to-city tour circuit to play at a little, local pub. More often than not, that little local pub is Hotel Brunswick in Brunswick Heads, a 20-minute drive north from Byron Bay.
Act alumni for “The Bruns” (as it’s affectionately known by locals) include Jamie XX, Fred Again, The Presets and Tash Sultana. As well as these sell-out sets, the pub also hosts the Northern River’s best up-and-coming country, folk, jazz and rock talent every Sunday for free live music.
For food, the kitchen leans into their coastal location, serving seafood classics like lobster rolls and prawn toast as well as burgers, pizzas and steaks. For seating, the breezy, brick-laid beer garden is shaded by trees and backed by river views, enticing you in for a lengthy session.
Hotel Brunswick, Brunswick Heads
The Rockley Pub, Rockley
When one of the country’s most venerated fine-dining chefs returns to his hometown to buy a country pub in a regional town surrounded by the Central Tablelands’ bountiful food basket, it naturally piques the interest of foodies.
So it’s no surprise that Matt Moran’s Rockley Pub is a mecca for fresh farm fare. The menu champions seasonal produce and dishes up crowd pleasers like the Moran family farm sausages, baked eggplant parmigiana and roasted lamb.
Moran has also tapped into that all-important pub frivolity, with core operations including Thursday pool comps, yabby races and superior meat raffles. If all of this fun feels too tempting for a quick drop in, upstairs you’ll find a handful of airy rooms with comfy beds.
The Rockley Pub, Rockley
The Grain Store, Newcastle
Though technically not a pub by name, Newcastle’s Grain Store Craft Beer Cafe offers one of the best beer lineups of any pub in the country. Each of the 21 taps serves independently owned and Australian-brewed craft beers.
Hop fanatics and husband and wife team Kristy and Corey Crooks are behind the popular stop-in stocking an ever-rotating mix of refreshing, fruity, chocolatey and even gluten-free pales, ales and porters.
What’s more, the restored warehouse comes from storied brewing roots and was built in 1885 to serve as the Tooheys Brewery keg and grain storage facility.
The Grain Store, Newcastle
The Sir George, Jugiong
Quiet country luxury reigns supreme at The Sir George hotel, located an hour-and-half-drive northwest of Canberra. While under the ownership of mother-daughter duo Liz Prater and Kate Hufton, the 1845-built pub underwent an extensive yet careful renovation.
The original stone stables were converted into three rooms, while an additional eight architecturally-designed barns were erected to round out the high-end offering.
Now in the hands of heavyweight publican Fraser Short and venture capitalist Markus Kahlbetzer, the Sir George remains an incredible—and luxy— country escape complete with excellent food and oodles of country charm.
Hotel Canobolas, Orange
When asking travellers on the pub trail for a good Sunday roast, Hotel Canobolas inevitably crops up. Perhaps the Orange pub’s propensity for this traditional British plate harks back to a time when Tooheys first reopened its version of the pub in 1939, and wanted to have it ready for any royalty, politicians or celebrities that walked through the door.
While it’s unlikely you’ll share the Art Deco bistro with any members of the British monarchy, you will sit alongside many Orange locals looking for their weekly roast fix served with lashings of gravy and seasonal vegetables.
If you’re keen to turn your trip into an overnight stay, there are 45 rooms upstairs.
Hotel Canobolas, Orange
Bud's Tavern, Huskisson
The beauty of Bud’s Tavern in Huskisson, comes not only from the uncomplicated allure of a nostalgic country pub, nor just from the fact it’s family owned and operated and built in honour of late grandfather—and namesake—Bud.
But the crowning warmth and appeal comes from a passionate team of youngsters who inject the Husky local with the unbridled potential of the next generation of publicans.
Scott Mileto and his brother Blake, along with a friendly cast of friends and family, match the 80s-era nostalgia of the fit-out with great service, a fusion-savvy menu and, perhaps most impressive, a dedicated community of regulars across all age groups.
Macquarie Arms Hotel, Windsor
No pub trail across New South Wales is complete without a visit to the oldest pub on the mainland: the Macquarie Arms Hotel.
When awarding the Windsor allotment back in 1811, all Governor Macquarie asked for was a “handsome commodious inn of brick and stone and to be at least two stories high”.
Over 200 years on, this stately, two-storey Georgian-era building, with attic rooms to boot, stands strong. A cold drink enjoyed by the wooden-clad bar, or on the veranda overlooking Thompson Square, is worth the drive alone.
