This English-style pub is as British as mushy peas on the outside but has a true Australian heart, regularly featuring live bands singing Aussie rock anthems.
Surely the English can be credited more than anyone else with inventing the pub as we know it. While the Durham Castle Arms isn't nearly as British as the name suggests, it does stick to that Pommie-flavoured formula of a good pub.
The outside is coloured the fire-engine red of a London telephone box and comes complete with cast-iron lamps and a crest on the signage. The decor channels
Eastenders, featuring old-fashioned pub comforts of patterned carpet, church pew-like booths and well-loved furniture.
However, this local watering hole doesn't serve tepid pints of Boddingtons in homage to the motherland. Instead drinkers will find Aussie beers on tap alongside, unexpectedly, a good selection of German brews. Ale connoisseurs can sip on an Erdinger, Warsteiner, or even the locally made Zierholz.
The week's entertainment kicks off with the popular trivia night on Tuesdays, while on Friday and Saturday nights the house rocks to live cover bands offering their interpretations of Aussie rock anthems and '80s and '90s pop favourites.
Happy hours on Thursdays and Fridays draw a slightly younger crowd than usual with the promise of cheap cocktails. After a couple of giggle-inducing Absolute Orgasms (Chambord, lime and vodka), the kitchen's menu of classic pub grub is an irresistible draw.
Shelley Tustin
