Santa Pub Crawl

I arrived at Naughton's yesterday, barely recognising the old uni haunt, and broke my personal rule of not drinking on my own, as I waited for my fellow pub crawl participants to arrive. Mary soon joined me, and when Melissa, Greg and Nick arrived, we ordered a pub lunch and pints to start the day.

Revisiting the pubs of my uni days was a bit of a let down, with Naughton's almost unrecognisable from those days, and The Clyde not open in time for us, the next on the Carlton North route was Percy's. We walked in, Santa hats adorned to the old man pub interior and some strange looks. Nick proposed that we were in Mafia territory as we were surrounded by old Carlton gang (and footy) photos on the walls.

Next was the Irish themed Pugg Mahones, after Greg and Nick finally submitting to the pressure of wearing santa hats for the day. A pot was had at one of the little tables in the back area, after having the front bar watch us walk through with stares.

Around the corner onto Nicholson Street was another old haunt of mine when I lived around here, the Clare Castle. Coming a long way since it's dingy interior provided cheap pub meals at poor student prices, this modernised pub has a coffee machine and cake counter! No! As we settled in for our pot, we decided we may have to double up here, so that we could get a listen to the band warming up. The hippy look, strange tuning sounds, and our giggly anticipation were met by Amy and Tammany, and foam snow covered Meggsy. As the band started all our predictions came true, and we downed our pot and fled...much to the horror of the apparently diehard fans of the Songwriters Guild. Oops!

Getting to the Rathdowne Tavern we were joined by elves, a candy-cane wielding Robbie, and a Santa-suited Springer. Greg and I discovered the strange bathroom water feature, before we moved on to the Dan O'Connell, and were joined by more festive people for the festive rounds.

Drinking in the front bar of The Brandon, James joined us, who I haven't seen since his big overseas adventures. We negotiated a quick stop at The Kent, who were wary of a big, rowdy group, assuring them we were just there for one, amid their Xmas lunching crowd.

Our first bonus stop on route was Gerald's Bar, a much recommended spot, just around the corner from home, and never visited. With the sun shining through the lace curtains at the front window, our round was a brew out of a very tall beer bottle....of which I have no recollection of the name!

The Rising Sun, which is actually a wine bar called Enoteca now, would not have a bar of us, and as I dared to wander in to use the facilities, I was chased in and out by the staff. Hmmm.

Decking out a long outside table in the barmy dusk Melbourne night at The Great Northern, our group paused here for our pot and a much needed feed. Great food at one of my favorite pubs, and one of my locals for the last 2 years. This is actually the end of the route, but there were a few more stops begging for our attention, and our thirst, in the area!

Walking along Pigdon Street our large group accosted a passer by to take a funny, large group photo, before we visited Bar Nothing. Here, with their 6 cocktails for $20 special, we had a round of sweet pink Sandra Sully's, and were then transported back to the late 90s with a Fruit Tingle. This bar is very cute, rustic, and again, another great bar so close to my house, and yet not visited until now.

Rounding out our Santa pub crawl at The Empress for one last, tired beer, this is the end of my crazy drinking year! Such fun! So many great drinking places found around Melbourne, through the Project 2009 and the many pub crawls of the year. I have certainly made up for last year's forced sobriety!

Trick or Treat Pub Crawl

With an old lady dress from the op shop, an oldie wig and some strange person's prescription glasses Katie just had lying around, I dressed as my worst nightmare for Halloween yesterday. Making my way down Brunswick Street in the surprising 27C heat, I made it to the Rose Hotel, for the first stop in the Trick or Treat pub crawl in Fitzroy.

Meeting MJ and Sharon, and Meggsie, we went in for a pub lunch, while Melissa, Katrina and Kylie made their way to us. Springer and Bree joined us for our first drinks, before we made our way to the air conditioned Royal Derby, which had actually featured on a pub crawl earlier in the year.

Walking down Brunswick Street all dressed up in random Halloween garb, we walked down a side street to find the Commercial Club. As we walked into the empty white space, the bartender made some crack about us being dressed up...and we had our one pot pretty quickly!

Back to Brunswick Street, the Punters Club on the map is today's Bimbo Delux, and the destination for our next pot. Joined here by witchy Lana, we also ducked across the street to the Evelyn, which was a little weird, drinking there in the middle of the day, and dressed up as an old lady!

Down to the Provincial for a pot, in their gorgeous rooms, we were joined by Amanda, before walking down Johnston Street to find that McCrossin's on the map was now opened as Griffs Wine Pub, and thus an extra stop for the drink. I am not sure that the publican was thrilled by our group wandering in, but we were joined here by Kym, and Nick.

Inside Rochester Castle we found a nanny couch, a pool table, and funky booths to keep us entertained for our pot stop, before getting to the Birmingham, where we were joined by Sara and her friends, and Bumble and Lisbe, who had been at the races.

Walking around the loop on the map, we found a tidy bucks party at the Marquis of Lorne, before discovering the awesome rooftop beer garden. Back on the map, we all made our way to the Napier Hotel, where Neil found us, for a bit of a Flagger reunion.

Finding a church Halloween party, where there was an entry fee, but then climbing through an archway to anothe rmuch cooler house party, we lost our nerve and returned to the pubs on the map. The Rainbow seemed to be having a Halloween party of it's own, where we found many, many others dressed up.

Getting to the Perseverence back on Brunswick Street, we found many tidy race-goers, who looked strangely upon our group. Delayed here during out pot consumption by a heavy downpour outside, we had to time our dash to the next pub with care.

Bumble, Meggsie and I jumped in a cab, and with the driver being less than helpful, we had no luck finding the Standard, having our next pot at the Pumphouse. And that, amazingly, was stumps for me. Very tired, and a little bit drunky, this is the first crowl we haven't completed, with 4 pubs and the longest leg, distance-wise to go.

Alas, maybe some other time. But a fun Halloween day, to mark my birthday, notheless!

Kings and Queens Richmond Pub Crawl

With Bumble and Belinda down for the Queen's Birthday long weekend for the footy on Sunday, there was a whole day of drinking just crying out for a pub crawl! Meeting at Grandma Funks for a hearty brunch for the big day, the three of us joined Melissa, Greg, Nick, Lauren and Paul, comparing our crowns for the day of silliness.

Meggsy joined us as we finished our stable meal for the day, before we walked a block down Swan Street, Richmond, to our first pub, The Vaucluse. Meeting Daisy, Emma and Michael here, we started our account of one pot per pub. Wearing crowns and tiaras to mark the long weekend, our crawl was underway!

Next up was The Swan, which was quickly declared a skull pub, and thus a quick pot by all. The third pub, The Great Britain, on our Richmond route was closed till 4pm, and as we walked toward the fourth on our map, we spotted Wendy walking the other way; she informed us that the Prince Alfred was a shell of a building, and thus no longer a destination for a pot!

Feeling a little lost in the back streets of Richmond, and getting very thirsty, following the map down Balmain Street did not seem hopefully for a pub...but alas, The Cherry Tree emerged from the roadworks to restore our faith!

After our few misses, we all downed a pint here, in the spirit of catching up - especially with the discovery of Mountain Goat on tap.

Freshly renovated, this little find in the tucked away streets is certainly a pub with promise, and one to remember...if we could find it again! Moving on from here, we walked along behind the train tracks to reach the also renovated Precinct. The interior here is a far cry from the old dodgy Sunday sessions at the Depot days, with an unrecognisable layout. Certainly not the pub it used to be!

Being turned away from The Corner because we were all too old (an underage gig was in progress!), we found a substitute for the burnt out Richmond Club in the Post Office Hotel. Decked out is seemingly regal decor, it seemed a fitting place for a pot on this crawl.

Our next pub made it clear that they were nontooplussed at having a large group arrive on their doorstep in the middle of the day, stating they don't do pub crawls. We downed our London Tavern pot pretty quickly, before walking up to Punt Road, and entering the dodgy smelling Cricketer's Arms.

Michelle joined us here, and as we walked out, Springer had found us. Our next pub was a much anticipated stop for the boys, being the titty bar at the Royal. With just one bargirl with her girls out, the girls on the crawl downed a pot fairly quickly, not really appreciating what the fuss is all about!

Next up was the Mt View on Bridge Road, where we grabbed our pot and climbed the stairs to the upstairs deck, for a view of the city!

The next pub on the list, The East Melbourne appeared to not be an open pub anymore, thus our next stop was the Kingston. Here Flash and Cassie joined us, and Little Banksy found us too for this pot.

The All Nations was next, and our group seemed to be quite large with the addition of Wizden, and a host of other Flaggers.

The next pub on the map, the Eureka, is actually Hunchbax, and it was closed. Hearing this from the group ahead, I was with Melissa, Wendy and Springer, and we decided we would jump on the tram in front of us to get back down Church Street to the next one. Which promptly sailed us past the Earl Of Lincoln. Oops!

We made it to the next one, being the Prince Of Wales, and given we were a little ahead of the group, sat down to grab a quick pub meal. I remember vaguely having bangers and mash, over which I talked to Jessie in London on the phone....hmmmm.

The rest of the crawl found us, and we all walked into DT's...the friendliest pub on the crawl...of course, the gay stop! Cheap drinks and great service, this is actually the pub most talked about since from the crawl! Everyone loved it!

Our last offical stop on the map was The Vine, before the group deciding we would head back to The Swan for an after-crawl drink, or 5, and a dance. Loads of fun, rum, singing with the cover band, and some enthusiastic dancing followed. Meggsy was carried out and helped into a cab, in true tour form. A massive day, followed by a massive night. Such fun!

Easter Bunny Pub Hop-Crawl

I had a sturdy brunch at Mosskito to line the stomach for a day of drinking around Clifton Hill and North Fitzroy for an Easter Pub Crawl. At 12noon as I was finishing, Melissa called me from the first pub, the Royal, letting me know it was closed for Easter. A great tucked away pub find though, by all accounts.

I met Wendy and Melissa out the front of a closed Terminus, before we walked down to Queens Parade to find that the Normanby no longer exists. Not a good start!

Thankfully, the Clifton Hill was open with a handful of old man locals, and we started our day with pints, to make up for the missed stops thus far. A walk through Edinburgh Gardens, we found familiar Parkview for a double up pint stop, and a chance for the girls to have lunch.

With the sun blazing down on us, and our beer levels back on track, we walked the back streets to the Railway. This is very close to home for me, although I have never been in...looks like the dingiest of old man pubs on the outside. Inside is a strange collection of rooms, with tucked away dining room, family filled front bar, raucous pool game going on out the side, and a surprising beer garden. We took out pots outside, and discovered the fruit trees and canopy of grapes growing.

One of my favourite pubs, and my true local, The Empress was closed as we got there, so we moved on further down Nicholson Street to find that the Nicholson on our map is now a block of flats! But just across the road was the gorgeous wine bar Bistro flor, which I have always wanted to visit. We found a lovely little beer garden here, and Beer Lao on the menu! Hello!

Off on foot again, we ventured down to the back streets back on the North Fitzroy side, and found the North Fitzroy Arms - a heartland pub of the Fitzroy Roy Boys. Walking out of here after our pots in another gem of a beer garden, the girls found a resting point in the setting light, before we walked down Rae Street to Tramway.

Getting back onto Nicolson Street, we found the TAB soaked Royal Oak, where Springer joined us for the rest of the crawl. Next up was possibly one of the finds of the day, the newly polished North Fitzroy Star. We took our pints up on the big beautiful table in the front bar, but found among the book-lined rooms the front restaurant room decked our for a wedding, and the back room prepared for a birthday gathering. A lovely pub and venue!

Back onto Brunswick Street North, we found the Lord Newry, where Springer's bunny ears appeared, and little chocolate eggs found their way to our pot glasses.

Making our way to the next pub, as Melbourne was getting darker, I managed to find myself on the ground at some point, minus a chuck of my right hand. Oops! Ouch! A pub crawl injury, which was tendered to at our next stop, the Recreation, where we also had a bite to eat to refuel. This is the last pub on the offical pathway on the map, however there are several more marked on the map close by, so we plotted ahead, and added three more stops.

Down to Alexander Parade, we stopped for a pot in Father Flanagan, and then walked a little further down for another at the Royal Derby. Beautiful comfy couches here, and a DJ playing just to himself!

The last stop was called Rubira's on the map, but named Ink now, Springer and I popped in for the last drink. Great crawl, some amazing pub finds, and a sore hand - all marks of a top day!

Nikki's Birthday Pub Crawl Extravaganza

After 5 whole months of planning and counting down and talking about it, Nikki's birthday pub crawl finally arrived yesterday. I met Nikki and Layne for breakfast at Slice, for a simple, sturdy feed to start the day.

As 12pm hit, and Layne and I started dreaming about our first beer we headed to the first stop on our route, the Duke of Kent...to find it not open! Oops! Our second pub was another couple of blocks away, and so we had two pots at the Oxford Scholar. Here we were joined by Kylee and Tim, and Melissa, before "N" adorned Stacey and Andrew arrived in time to walk with us to the next stop.

Alissa and Michelle found us as we were leaving the pub, and we walked around the corner on Franklin Street to Mac's - which is an old looking pub hiding the bar Miss Libertine's. Amazing deco inside, this venue had the group grow with Bree and Kelly, Michelle, the Sydney crew, as jugs of beer were passed around among vodkas.

Walking past a closed Stork, our group merged through the market crowd to find the awesome balcony of the Mercat Cross. Joined here by Dan and co, Mary and Dan, we took in our pots overlooking the city and busy Queen Victoria Market below.

Up to Victoria Street, Kylee and I found a closed Public Bar, before we all went into the crusty front bar of Central Club for a very quick drink stop, while Justin and Rex joined us. Next stop was Bev and Mick's Backpackers Vic Hotel to mingle with the travellers for a drink.

A stop off the map to one of my favourite pubs, The Drunken Poet, with Siobhan serving our growing group on what would have been a quiet Saturday afternoon.

Getting back to the map, we headed to the Royal Standard, where we found no football coverage, to our dislike. The Carron Tavern was next, where I'm told we had our jagerbombs...jager has messed with me since being back on the drink, and has caused memory blanks afterwards....hmmmm.

We made it to the Royal Mail where we filled the front room. I am fairly sure I must have skipped the Mooma, before finding myself at the Railway for quite some time on my own, ahead of the group.

When the rest of the group arrived I was settled in with a beer, and Melissa was banned from ordering anything after making the barman unhappy by ringing his bell! Hee hee.

With the station right there, the group got a train into town, and I had dinner with half the crawl group at Young and Jackson, before hitting the wall after a long day of drinking.

Pub Crawl Drop In and Jo's 30th

Yesterday, after frantically trying to locate a place to complete my democratic duty with the local, compulsary Council election, I met Nikki in the city, and we travelled over to South Melbourne to meet up with Melissa and Katie, who were mid-pub crawl.

We joined them at The Railway, which I think was their 5th pub. The group included Melissa's housemates, Nick and Greg, and had the lads in Merry Christmas santa hats, and the girls in Ho!Ho!Ho! santa hats.

The crawl they were following was the Albert Park-South Melbourne crawl from the The Victorian Imbibers Club website - which is just giving me ideas!! The group had also put together rules/challenges for each pub, drawn out before each change. Things like the hopping pub, where they had to hop between sips of their pots. The Railway's challenge was to aquire a business card.

The next pub was The Montague, after a long and misguided walk, where the quite gathering inside didn't know quite what to make of the rowdy group, with everyone speaking in a Pommy accent, and Pom Greg having to speak Aussie! Hilarious!

We then moved on to The Albert Park, very art deco outside, funky wood modern inside, before the Hotel Nest. This pub was drawn as a 'No Slash Pub' so everyone was trying to down their pt quickly, to allow the group to move on to the next! Nikki and I left the group at this point, and trammed back into the city.

Great crawl, great idea with the rules and tasks for each pub. Will definately have to complete it someday next year!

We found our way to Charlie's Bar in Hardware Lane, for Jo's 30th birthday. We joined Kate and Mark, and Michelle, and soon Stacey and Andrew for the countdown to midnight to celebrate turning 30 with beautiful Joey.

More work mates joined us, with Stevie, Christina and Dan, and much later Patrice and Leno. Big bucket glasses of Hoegaarden beer, champange, and all sorts of other combinations later, designated dave me drove people home at the end of a very long, and fun day. Happy Birthday Joey Mac!