By Kate Shilling — 25th October 2022
This week came the happy announcement that 27 pubs in Sydney’s Inner-West are set to receive heritage protection, including several in Balmain, Rozelle, Newtown, Enmore, Marrickville and Annandale.
This is a nod of respect to Aussie ‘pub culture’ but it goes far deeper than simply protecting our favourite drinking holes. By safeguarding against the redevelopment of these nostalgic buildings, a crucial slice of Australian history is being preserved for generations to come.
Early speakeasies were established pretty much the moment the boats hit the shores of Australia in 1788 but our first legal pubs were established in 1796 in Parramatta. Back then, they resembled a corner shop, and it was years later when it became law for pubs to feature bedrooms, a dining room, stable and an exterior light that burned throughout the night.
Still today, nearly 70 percent of Australia’s 6000 pubs are situated on corner blocks. New South Wales boasts more than 2000 pubs - twice as many as Victoria and nearly four times as many as Western Australia.
While there’s endless debate over which pub warrants the moniker of ‘longest operating’, Bush Inn in New Norfolk, Tasmania, is thought to deserve the title. Named after the clerk of Reverend Knopwood, the first chaplain in the colony, the Bush Inn was licensed in 1825, ten years after it was built.
For a while, the pub acted as a chapel, with memorabilia of a christening font displayed to this day. Along with a hidden tunnel underneath the pub, which was used to secretly transport mentally ill patients to the Royal Derwent Hospital (previously known as the New Norfolk Insane Asylum), the ancient pub is also home to a ghostly child, said to be the spirit of a small girl.
Room six, the haunted abode, is sparsely furnished with a single bed and a chair in a corner. The young girl is said to have died in the pub when she fell down the stairs nearly 200 years ago, with her ghost remaining forever more, becoming part of the rich folklore and heritage of Australia’s oldest operating pub.
As you embark on your Family History Holiday, consider spending time in the local pubs where your ancestors once lived. These special gathering places often contain historic gems, including old photographs and letters. You might even get talking with the locals at the bar and uncover stories from the past that provide colour and context to your own family history stories.
At the very least, you’ll relish a home brew and enjoy a taste of what life might’ve been like for your relatives long ago.
Image: The Bush Inn, Tasmania
