‘Pub’ is an abbreviation of the public house. There are around 6000 pubs in Australia and are a key part of the Aussie lifestyle, influenced by the British and Irish. By the 19th century, the Australian pub developed its own unique traditions.
The pub is not necessarily a place to drink alcohol. For a lot of people, it’s a place to eat and enjoy family time with friends. Meals are often affordable and the pub has a relaxed atmosphere. Many also have playgrounds for children. It’s best to do your research first though and find a family-friendly pub in your neighbourhood.
So what’s the difference between a pub, bar and restaurant?
A bar is a place that primarily serves alcoholic drinks. They’re usually quite small, the music is often loud and may even have a dancefloor. Bars usually only have bar snacks, as their focus is on selling drinks. They will only allow people who are 18 years of age and over.
Pubs are found in most Australian neighbourhoods. They offer varied dining for the entire family. The atmosphere is often quiet during the day and the music is more relaxed than in bars.
Bars usually focus on drinks and can be expensive unlike pubs. Source: Getty Images
Pub-goers by day are usually elderly people, college students and some families in affluent Australian neighbourhoods. By night, you might find a local band playing music and many people go to the pub to watch their favourite sports.
Some pubs may provide modest accommodation for visitors from the countryside and wandering tourists — but don’t expect five-star service!
Research conducted by Roy Morgan shows that the number of Australians who go to a bar for a meal exceeds those who go just for a drink. Different states have different food specialities.
Pavneet Singh Mann, a Melbourne-based businessman has dabbled in the pub business. He shares his experiences of the pub from behind the bar counter.
“People like to stop by at a pub for a quick drink and catch-up with their friends after work, even on weekdays. Families often came to our pub in Ballarat for a meal. Usually, birthday parties are an occasion where friends and family like to head to the pub to celebrate as they are affordable venues,” he tells SBS Punjabi.
Pavneet Singh Mann says he enjoyed running his pub in Ballarat. Source: Supplied by Pavneet Singh Mann
Coming from Punjab in northern India, Mr Mann draws an interesting comparison between Australia’s pub and Punjab’s ‘sathh’.
“A ‘sathh’ in Punjab is a place in a village where local residents congregate and chat on a daily basis. The conversation is casual and social issues are the focus. This is exactly like the Aussie pub,” he elaborates.
Punjabis in the world are well known for their love of their drink. But not many are known to have delved as deep into it as Nirmal and Paramdeep Ghumman, who own a winery in Victoria’s idyllic Mornington peninsula.
Their winery, Nazarey Estate, has won several awards for their wines, primarily Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris.
Nirmal and Paramdeep Ghumman of Nazaaray Estate. Source: Supplied
“Wineries are very different from pubs and so are their patrons. Pubs buy their drinks in bulk while wineries make their own limited quantities of wine, which makes pubs cheap. Pubs are a fixture in every Australian high street while cellar doors of wineries are a speciality, found primarily in grape-growing regions,” explains Mrs Ghumman, who runs the operations of Nazarey Estate with her husband.
Wines, she says are becoming increasingly popular in Australia now, whereas beer and spirits were always the primary choices of the local population.
Cellar doors are usually found in grape-growing regions. Source: Getty Images
“Unlike pubs, customers of winery cellar doors are often travellers passing by. Women make up a large portion of them. The Indian-Australian community now appears curious about this business as many young people approach us to enquire about our business,” she elaborates.
With that, our guide to Aussie pubs comes to an end. Cheers!
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