Page 19 - Flipbook

2 Hero of Waterloo
The oldest Sydney pubs lie in the waterfront district called the Rocks, where the British first landed, in 1788, to establish Australia as a penal colony. It wasn’t long before visitors were shocked by the proliferation of ‘grog shops’; rum was even legal tender for a spell. Those wild days can best be imagined at the Hero of Waterloo, built in 1843 from sandstone blocks that convicts had carved by hand. In the barracks style interior, ale is served beneath a portrait of the Duke of Wellington. If the publican
is in the right mood, you may even be offered a tour of the ancient cellar, one room of which once doubled as a lockup for securing prisoners after hours and who’s tunnel was used to spirit involuntarily recruited sallies to the dock.
81 Lower Fort Street heroofwaterloo.com.au
3 Lord Nelson
Australians were once ashamed of their convict past, but now embrace it with pride. The lively Lord Nelson, in the Rocks, prominently displays a framed passenger list from the first fleet of ships bringing prisoners to Sydney, in 1788, and many a customer has eagerly searched it for family names. The 1841 stone pub has been renovated into a posh, comfortable establishment with a microbrewery; try the dark porter called Nelson’s Blood, along with a range of ales. The kitchen serves fresh ‘ damper’ (campfire- baked bread that was a staple of pioneer life); modern Australian delicacies, with fresh crab and chili; and the quintessential Sydney pub lunch - beer battered catch of the day (fish).
19 Kent Street lordnelsonbrewery.com
ENDLESS VACATION 17