Melbourne Pub Tour for Old Friends and Familiar Pubs
Join us and raise a glass to Melbourne’s pub history
Melbourne’s city pubs aren’t just places to grab a pint, they’re part of the city’s living history, filled with stories of student days, six o’clock swills, and unexpected characters. Many of these old watering holes have disappeared, but the ones that remain still carry the spirit of Melbourne through their walls.
That’s why we’re excited to launch the Melbourne City Pub Tour, led by writer and tour guide Paul Daffey. From the iconic Oxford Scholar to the storied Mitre Tavern, we’ll retrace the steps of generations who made these pubs their second homes. Along the way, Paul will share tales of Melbourne’s lost pubs, colourful characters, and the changing face of the city itself.
Melbourne City Pub Tour Details
When: New dates TBC
Where: Meet at 1.45 pm outside the Oxford Scholar Hotel.
Tickets: Seniors pay $60, includes a drink at Young & Jackson’s.
Booking enquiries: info@seniorsinmelbourne.com.au
Related reading: Under the Clocks – Walking Tour of Melbourne
The Story Behind our Pub Tour
Written by Paul Daffey
A Nostalgic Afternoon in Melbourne
It’s a weekday afternoon in Melbourne’s city centre. Chris Crook, a retired cartographer from Wallington, on the Bellarine Peninsula, is at a loose end. His wife is with their daughter on a jaunt around Carlton.
Chris has a think. What will I do?
His answer provides the first step in what has become a new venture for Seniors in Melbourne.
“I’ll go to the Oxford,” he says.
The Oxford Scholar Hotel is in Swanston Street. Chris has not been there since he was a student over the road at what was then the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, better known as RMIT, now officially RMIT University.
Chris is now 75. The last time he stepped inside the Oxford was 50 years ago!
So what was it like to return to an old student haunt?
“It was empty!” Chris says.
“But it felt good – just that it was still there.”
Returning to Old Haunts
Chris had one cider. He adds that the pub was nice.
“It’s been done up,” he says.
Chris’s main memory of the Oxford is, of course, good times in good company. He also remembers beer sloshing around his feet.
“The floor was always wet. But we had a great time.”
With his curiosity piqued, Chris walked around to another old student haunt, the pub that was called Mac’s Hotel, but is now known by the appellation of Captain Melville.
In his day, Chris says, Mac’s was slightly downmarket. He and his mates played pool there.
“It was a little bit rougher,” he says.
Chris mentions that management spelt out a clear message with one of the signs on the pub’s tiles.
The sign read: “Do not spit.”
In the days of the six o’clock swill, tiles made it easier for bar staff when it came to closing time. As soon as the last patron was booted out the door, the staff would hose down the bar.
In his final observation at Mac’s, Chris notes that the sign guarding against expectoration has been removed.
From Idea to Tour: Making it Happen
After his pleasant afternoon staggering down memory lane, Chris mentioned to his daughter Amy, the head honcho at Seniors in Melbourne, that he’d like to do a tour of Melbourne’s city pubs, beginning with the Oxford and leading on to historic watering holes like the Mitre Tavern, the Duke of Wellington and Young and Jackson’s.
Amy sensed that such a tour would make a fine addition to the events on offer during Seniors Month. And so here we are, inviting you all to join us on this 3-hour walking tour of Melbourne’s city pubs.
Or what’s left of them.
Melbourne’s Changing Pub Scene
In recent years, the number of pubs in the city has plummeted. Most of them have been replaced by office blocks or apartment towers.
What was the Carron Tavern in Spencer Street is now a bunch of studios for independent artists. The Stork Hotel was a two-storey pub in Elizabeth Street. Now, on the site where the pub once stood, there’s a building that offers more than 50 floors of accommodation for international students.
The Waterside Workers Hotel in Flinders Street is clearly undergoing some sort of change, with dust and debris suggesting building works. However, according to its website, the Waterside will continue to serve food and drink. Its renovation is due to be completed by the end of the year.
Chris also has fond memories of the Waterside, which is near the office that he occupied as a freelance cartographer after graduation. Chris was never at the Waterside at 6 o’clock in the morning, which, in deference to the men working overnight on the docks, was the pub’s opening time.
But he was occasionally there for a counter lunch. His strongest memory of the Waterside at lunchtime revolves around a German woman who delivered the meals from kitchen to table. When she entered the dining room, she would hold the plates above her heard and bellow a one-word description of the meals to be claimed.
The strictures of her accent made it difficult to pronounce the letters “ch”. When she held a bowl of chips above her head, she would describe the bowl’s contents as “ships”.
“Ships,” she would say.
“Ships.”
When the German waitress held above her head an item of crockery bearing tripe, there was no mirth as a result of her pronunciation. Instead, patrons would express wonder that one of their fellow diners had ordered a meal bearing the lining of a sheep’s stomach.
“Everybody would stand up to look at the bloke who had ordered tripe,” Chris says.
Why Join the Pub Tour?
Whether you once pulled up a stool in these very bars or you’re discovering them for the first time, this is a chance to connect with the past, swap stories, and enjoy Melbourne in good company.
When: New dates TBC
Where: Meet at 1.45 pm outside the Oxford Scholar Hotel.
Tickets: Seniors pay $60, includes a drink at Young & Jackson’s.
Booking enquiries: info@seniorsinmelbourne.com.au
Accessibility: There is a fair amount of walking required over a 3 hour period, with rest stops at four pubs along the way. One flight of steps is required at one pub. Please let us know upon booking if you have any accessible needs and we can make arrangements to assist.
Heading off on your own Melbourne adventures? Join our Facebook Group and share your stories, ask questions and connect with others for further inspiration.
The Melbourne City Pub Tour is run in collaboration between Paul Daffey and Seniors in Melbourne. A commission is received from ticket sales to support the running of the Seniors in Melbourne website. All opinions and recommendations are entirely our own.
