The Australian Pub

Description

The pub is one of Australia's most-loved institutions. The Australian Pub takes us on an intoxicating journey through the colourful history of this Australian icon: from its colonial origins along the waterfronts and roadways used by travellers, through to the mid-twentieth century six o'clock swill, and on to the boutique bars of contemporary cosmopolitanism. The authors trace the essential role of the pub as an enduring provider of drink, food, entertainment, accommodation and illegal betting, as well as its relationship to sport, and its battles with licensing laws. The hubbub of the public bar, patrons' loyalty to the local, the friendship of the lounge, the work of kitchen staff and barmaids, the local standing of publicans, and classic pub architecture and heritage - all are explored in this comprehensive history. This beautiful book celebrates our pubs, proving that they are, and always have been, more than just a place to drink.

Diane Kirkby is a history professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne and a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. She has received awards from the Australian Historical Association and the Fulbright Association. She is the author of Voices from the Ships. Tanja Luckins is an award-winning historian who is currently an ARC research fellow at the Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne. She is the coeditor of Dining on Turtles: Food, Feasts and Drinking in History. They are the coauthors of GO! Melbourne in the 1960s. Chris McConville is a lecturer at Victoria University and a former lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast Queensland.