Australia Explained: Aussie pubs 101: All you need to know about pubs as a migrant (Ep. 2)

Birdsville hotel pub. Source AAP Image - Dan Peled.jpg

Credit: AAP Image - Dan Peled

Have you visited a pub in Australia? For many, a pub is not only a place to get a drink, but also a place to spend time with family and friends.


If you thought the main purpose of having pubs in Australia was just for drinking alcohol, think again.

Research conducted by the Roy Morgan research company shows that the number of Australians who go to a bar for a meal is more than those who go to drink alcohol.

You can listen to the third episode of Australia Explained here:

‘Pub’ is an abbreviation of the ‘public house’ and there are around 6000 pubs in Australia. They’re a big part of the Australian lifestyle, influenced by the culture in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Almost every Australian neighbourhood has a local pub, and along with tap beer and a fridge of alcohol, there’s often a family-friendly food menu. If you go for lunch, you’ll often find a quiet atmosphere with a mix of the elderly, college students, and families.

Some of these places also provide accommodation, which is why a pub will often have ‘hotel’ at the end of its name.
Shindys Inn pub. AAP Image Dean Lewins.jpg
Credit: Dean Lewins
Many pub buildings were designed in Australia from the second half of the nineteenth century, some of them now being heritage-listed buildings.

In the nineteenth century, Australian pubs provided an important source of income for many women in Australia who were widowed or single. This was a time without any social safety net for single mothers, so women had to search for options to provide food for their families, especially in rural and remote areas.

Here pubs played an important role in providing jobs, not only for widows and abandoned wives, but also for many former convicts.
Pub pool. Source Getty Images - Johnny Greig.jpg
Credit: Getty Images - Johnny Greig
 You can listen to all episodes of Australia Explained in Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.


Australia Explained was originally created by Maram Ismail for SBS Arabic24.


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