Footy Colours Pub Crawl

In the middle of footy finals month, and not participating ourselves this year, we embarked on a pub crawl to mark the month, dressed in footy colours. I found Meggsy in the city waiting for the same tram as I was, and thus we arrived at The Railway Club Hotel in Port Melbourne for the first stop, and for lunch (and a few more then the usual pot here).

The Port Melbourne crawl actually starts at the Albion, however this pub does not open til mid afternoon, so the Railway was our meeting point, where Skinner, Melissa and Greg and Nick, and Springer joined us. A great pub lunch to start the day, and we were off on another map following, beer drinking afternoon!

Complete with random team scarves, Meggsy's old footy jumper, and Skinner in her brown and gold, we walked the streets of South Melbourne to find the next two pubs on the map closed.

Having drawn the 'Talk Like Greg' card out of the challenge pack for the day, we all tried very hard to speak with a Pommy accent, while Greg did his best Aussie, it was announced to the group that it was also 'Talk Like A Pirate Day', and thus pirate patches were distributed. Finding the next pub, now called Sloany Pony, I am sure the recently refurbished interior wondered what had just descended on it.

Skinner left us to go and fight crime, and we made our way to the Prince Alfred, for some pool sharking, and another pot.

The Rose was next, but also closed, we walked into the Chequers Inn to the bewilderment of all inside. Finding ourselves drinking our pot under the exposed wires of an unfinished ceiling, the review link really says it all.

Cricketer's Arms was next, in the side streets, and the beer garden was the perfect place for us to obey the challenge card drawn, being to swap an article of clothing. Seeing Meggsy in my Hawks scarf was worth seeing.

Actually, on the walk to this pub we had all amazingly spotted a Pirate Car, which needed a photo, given our patches, and our pub crawl silliness, we made a passer by take a photo of us all. Of course!

The Flower Pot simply wasn't there anymore, and The Rex was a pokie venue through and through, with barely a normal surface around that wasn't flashing, or ringing, or demanding a coin insertion! Here Greg drew a truth or dare card from the challenge pack, and was dared to pole dance - much to the amusement of the female bar staff, who must have called break time to stop and watch.

We made it The Graham just as the heavens opened. We claimed a spot in the undercover side beer garden, in this renovated pub, which was much classier than our group deserved at this point of the afternoon. Given the downpour, we got in another round, and really, with the pubs before closed, probably just as well!

The next pub had abandoned it's Irish name, for it's former self, being The Exchange, where we all settled in front of a tv screen for the first half of the footy final going on in town.

I can't tell you anything about Roosters By The Bay, but I assume that it was closed, as we went past at half time, to get to the next stop to watch the rest of the match. The London afforded us almost a room to ourselves, with comfy seats and couches to watch a cracking final to see Geelong advance.

Hmmm, we did actually eat somewhere here, and had a sherry pub....and I was sure it was before the walk up to the rest on the map. There was a rum pub somewhere too.... Um....no idea!

A little worse for wear, we walked along the route on the map and found the Clare Castle, where some of us were refused service, and some of us just got rude service! The floor here was littered with TAB tickets, and the place was empty. I can only assure that the Hibernian Hotel was also closed, and we all sensibly decided to head home and pass out. Quite a large day! Some great pub finds, and another map conquered!