There are many strong contenders for the title of ‘oldest continually licensed pub in Australia’, but the definitive answer is not clear-cut.
The outcome depends on how ‘continuous’ is defined, whether it’s the pub that has had a continuous licence, or one that has never closed, or even whether or not it still trades in the same location.
In Tasmania, two pubs – the Hope & Anchor and the Bush Inn – have had a friendly clash for the title for the bulk of their 200-year histories.
Yet, other pubs around the country also claim the title.
There were informal drinking houses and inns in early Sydney in the late 1700s, such as Parramatta’s WoolPack Hotel (originally named the Freemasons Arms Inn), licensed by Governor Phillip in May 1796. However, these weren’t always officially licensed or continuously recorded.
As the providence of the WoolPack cannot be confirmed, Sydney’s Fortune of War, established in 1828, claims the title. It was built in The Rocks by former convict Samuel Terry.
After this, things get messier.
Another claimant is The Rocks’ Lord Nelson, with the addendum of “still trading within its original fabric”. It was built in 1841.
Berrima NSW boasts the Surveyor General Inn, established 1834, which again claims to be the oldest continually licensed pub in Australia.
It was built in 1834, licenced in 1835 and one of the top-tier inns of the 1830s. It was constructed using convict labour from the gaol next door, and even had its own holding cells with a tunnel directly linking the two.
While it is undeniably one of the oldest surviving pub buildings in NSW and one of the oldest pubs still operating on its original site, it was closed from 30 June to 17 October 1895 before being relicensed, technically breaching the ‘continuously licensed’ argument.
Other states have their own oldest continuously licensed pubs: Queensland’s Victory Hotel in Brisbane, established in 1855, and the Grand View Hotel in Cleveland, which was built in 1851 but did not trade until 1855.
It is widely believed that Albany Hotel, built 1835, is Western Australia’s oldest, while Adelaide’s Edinburgh Castle, built in 1837, is reportedly South Australia’s longest licensed pub.
Finally, Victoria puts forward Melbourne’s 1837 Mitre Tavern, found in “Melbourne’s oldest building”, which was initially a private residence prior to being converted into a pub, and the Exford Hotel, established in 1854, whose colourful past includes being reported for running a prostitution racket.
While the winner of the crown of Australia’s oldest continually licensed pub may never be agreed upon, what truly matters in these pubs may not be longevity but the rapport they hold within their communities.
“I just love it, it’s like a family here,” Keran from the 192-year-old Surveyor General Inn told PubTIC.
“The customers make this the greatest place to work.”
