Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DRINKING & NIGHTLIFE
WATSONS BAY HOTEL
great pleasures in life is languishing in the rowdy beer garden of the Watsons Bay Hotel,
mere metres from the ferry wharf, with a jug of sangria after a day at the beach. Stay to
watch the sun go down over the city and grab some seafood if you're hungry - fish and
chips or a fiddly platter complete with crabs and cray.
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GOLDEN SHEAF HOTEL
rambling old brick pub has a shady beer garden, a sports bar with pool tables, a bistro, a
cocktail bar, a rooftop terrace and a dance floor. The musical mandate covers DJ-delivered
rock, soul, hip hop, samba and house. An impressive memorabilia wall includes auto-
graphed photos and albums from the likes of the Beatles and Bowie.
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The Golden Sheaf is on the main road passing through Double Bay.
EXCHANGE HOTEL
( 8755 2555;
www.exchangehotel.com.au
; cnr Beattie & Mullens Sts, Balmain; 11.30am-midnight Mon-Sat, to
10pm Sun; Balmain West)
The wedge-shaped Exchange (1885) has been lavishly renovated
(all charcoal and grey, pressed tin and chandeliers) and now houses an upmarket restaurant.
Stake a place on the balcony for a sundowner. From the Balmain West ferry stop, head
straight up Elliott St and continue on to Beattie St.
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LONDON HOTEL
( 9555 1377;
www.londonhotel.com.au
; 234 Darling St, Balmain; 11am-midnight Mon-Sat, noon-10pm Sun;
Balmain)
The Harbour Bridge views from the London's long balcony are quintessentially
Sydney (about as far from London as you can get). There's a great range of Oz beers on
tap, plus a few quality Euro interlopers (Heineken, Hoegaarden), jovial punters and non-
stop rugby on the telly. Darling St is Balmain's main drag.
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GREENWOOD HOTEL
The transformation of this slate-roofed sandstone schoolhouse (1878) into a pumping bar
has left it largely unchanged. In fact, apart from the Friday night after-work brigade, school
is a not-too-distant memory for most of the punters. On Thursdays acoustic musicians
strum and DJs spin until 3am; on Friday evenings the decks shift to the courtyard for a laid-
back wind down.
BAR
