Nothing but the Pub

Excerpted and adapted from my book Drinking in the Rivers Vol 1: the Pubs and People of the Murray and Edward Rivers. Available from: Nothing but the Pub One of Australia’s first high-profile divorces was very messy.  It involved the usual allegations of mental cruelty but, sensationally, it also centred on charges by one party of several instances of inappropriate behaviour by the other with a camel. In fact, more than one camel. And the first alleged occurrence of this shameful behaviour with said camels, was at the river at Wakool across the road from where the Kyalite Pub now stands.  The Royal Society which was backing the 1860 expedition decided that camels were needed and that they required expert care. They appointed George Landells to the expedition on higher pay than the leader. Which was probably a wrong move. These two had just met and apparently things went fine until Burke tried to load-up the camels to a degree that mahout Landells objected and as the group h...

Here’s a story about a pub. Well, the remnants of what was once a pub. Actually change that to the remnants of a Wine Shanty In fact, best not to risk the ire of the probably pedantic ghost of its long time owner and give it the full regal moniker on which she insisted. Mrs Alexander, who ran the place between Holbrook and Jingellic for near half a century would promptly admonish anyone who within her earshot demeaned her house by referring to it as a ‘shanty’. Rather, it was the “Lankey’s Creek Wine Palace” and she would be ever so   thankful if it were referred to as such! She was a stickler for proper behaviour and courtesy was Barbara Isabelle Alexander, and she had no truck with any lack of respect or innuendo about her morals and class. One summer afternoon at the end of December 1919, this woman, who’s husband was absent, allegedly at the War, and who lived with her sister, had a visit from an old friend who was invited to stay for a cuppa...

After I got back from the bar with Rex Beaver’s second tumbler of water, at the Jingellic Hotel he told me about giving up the fags. “I used to love smoking but in ’82 I just gave it up one day and never thought about it again. I’ve got will power to do things like that. Like drinking.” Rex first gave up beer in 1974 and kept off it for nine years, “just because”. Then he went dry again in the ‘90’s when saving for his house and then he quit again in 2005 and has stayed with the soft stuff ever since. “ Make no mistake, I’ve loved every mouthful of beer I’ve ever had and the next one will be sweet,” but right now he’s doing just fine. I told him I was headed down-river to check out the ex-Dora Dora pub. “Aaaah,   had my first drink at that place.   I just went down there one Saturday and I decided it was time I had a drink so I went into the bar and old Alf Wright was there and he hadn’t met me before.   It was an ordinary 7 ounce beer and I t...