Want to chug a few beers with the Sydney to Hobart yachties straight after they dock? This is a prime spot.
This fine old pub is located right in the middle of Battery Point (you know, the super cute and super expensive bit of Hobart). Stroll down the hill from here and you can sit on the public pier and soak up the killer harbour views.
The pub itself is exactly what a good old alehouse should be. It's clean, warm and cosy, with a lovely pot belly stove and such beers on tap as Cascade and Carlton. This place serves up great pub food, both at the bar and in the attached Shippies Restaurant.
If you like the squash of a determinedly cut-loose crowd, then head down here straight after the sailors from the Sydney to Hobart yacht race dock. If you think you'll secure a seat, you're probably dreaming; it's standing room only on days like this. The yachties spill out into the beer garden and onto the streets for this annual 'quiet little drink session', which is as rowdy as it should be.
Don't bother looking for pokies or live music. You're more likely to run across brigands and pirates, or at least retired ones. This place is popular with well-seasoned gents who like to spend their mornings outdoing each other by telling fishing stories - and yes, exaggerations are standard.
Lauren Gleeson
