35 Best Nightlife in Australia

Break bread, drink, and gather in the garden, hidden in plain sight. Enjoy delicious food from their local kitchen collaborators, and drinks from all over Tasmania and the mainland, too. The menu and produce change with the seasons. Venture down from the garden and into the Cathedral, an unholy beer garden and live music venue. The 59-foot-tall structure is a sheltered meeting ground for garden gatherings.

This award-winning saloon-style bar on bustling Caxton Street mixes old-school American charm with modern craft brews and a hefty range of spirits (including more than 100 rye whiskies). Decked out in vintage taxidermy and moody chandeliers, the retro Americana vibe continues with the Southern-theme bar food, including po'boys, corn dogs, and popcorn shrimp and the latest addition, Ben's burgers. A rollicking mix of country and rockabilly tunes burst from the stage and speakers.

Fancy a tour of a brewery? How about borrowing a free, retro-red bike for the day? Little Creatures has got a lot going for it—including its harborside location and fun-loving, artsy vibe—and it won’t cost an arm and a leg. Sign up for the A$12 tours that take you through every step on the beer-making process, running at 1, 2, and 3 pm every day. Then, leave a photo copy of your credit card and driver’s licence or passport with the staff so you can borrow a bike. This is the best place in Fremantle to taste kangaroo—the skewers are excellent, as are the steamed mussels and thin-crust pizzas. Naturally, matching the food with beer is a must. Expect a pleasant surprise from the mid-strength Rogers beer.

Bunbury's number one cocktail bar serves up moody dim-lit vibes in the back, and bright street views in the front. Sip colorful creations, craft beer, wine, and spirits surrounded by neon lights, old Hollywood photos, and exposed brick while you cozy up on padded and pillowed seats. There may not be a kitchen but they welcome and encourage you to order from neighboring restaurants such as Last Slice or Right On Burgers.

This cute and cozy Heritage-listed cottage hides Hobart's best beer garden in its backyard, home to a full-size bus. Warm in winter, bright and breezy in summer, with good food, a great relaxed vibe, and a selection of local craft beers and ciders—Preachers ticks all the boxes, especially on a sunny day.

By day it's an alfresco restaurant offering café fare, and by night a bar and beer garden with shareable snacks and live music. This cool, converted gas station is a flexible and light-filled hot spot with bespoke wood furniture and room for several ponies. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to a British '90s sitcom, Keeping Up Appearances, and the space is appropriately friendly with touches of quirk and humor.

The Saint John craft brewery and bar joins a proliferation of trendy tearooms, cafés, and bars to solidify Launceston's evolution to hipster status. Try the beers on tap and bar snacks.

Nestled between Hobart's CBD and the café strip of North Hobart, Shambles occupies a fond place in Hobartians' hearts for its excellent beer (brewed on-site), its relaxed, urbane atmosphere, and long benches for large groups or smaller nooks for a more intimate experience. Give their Dirty Copper amber ale a try.

You'll likely hear it before you see it—there's live music nearly every night of the week, and folks are singing or dancing along with it outside on the terrace. This lively and local favorite Irish pub and restaurant offers traditional pub grub as well as a special Sunday roast, with Guinness, Kilkenny, and Harp on tap, among other popular beer selections. Join in on trivia night or karaoke night, held once a week, or dance the night away with everyone else.

For a night full of cocktails, elegant eats, and views for miles, get dressed up and head to Storehouse Subiaco. Located on the ninth floor of the Vibe hotel, this trendy rooftop bar is the place to be and be seen on a Friday or Saturday night. A sizeable drinks menu and tasty bar and terrace food menu let you linger over sunset and well into the night. Happy hour beer and house wine start at $6 4--6 pm daily. 

This favorite local spot is the place to go for a sunset beer in the tropics, and it's right next to the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Its plastic white chairs and tables add to the laid-back, "old Darwin" vibe. There's live music on Friday and Saturday night, too.

One of Hobart's best-placed venues, The Glass House brings a collection of the most enticing cocktails and delicious food together in a unique translucent floating facility with impressive views of the Derwent. This venue is also the home pier for the ferry service to and from MONA.

The Old Synagogue was built in 1902 and was the first synagogue in the state. Today, it's a happening hot spot consisting of four places to eat, drink, and be merry. Mr Chapple is a cozy small bar perfect for meet-ups; The Abor is a massive beer garden that can pack in up to 500 party-seekers; Tonic & Ginger is a trendy split-level Asian-fusion dining room; and last but certainly not least is L'Chaim, a supercool, retro-looking lounge that is hidden within the wooden walls of the basement. Can you find it?

A temple of live music, in the heart of Hobart. Plus, electronic DJs and nocturnal artists take over High Altar for a late-night dance party every Friday and Saturday.

The European-style gaming room beside the National Convention Centre forgoes slot machines in favor of more sociable games like roulette, blackjack, poker, and keno. There are 40 gaming tables here, and the complex includes a restaurant (which has live music) and two bars. The Galaxy Club Retro is open Saturday night and stages vintage dance parties.

An "urban oasis" with fanciful design, a retractable glass roof, and street-front waterfall flowing over its contemporary architectural facade, Cloudland restaurant and nightclub woos well-heeled locals and tourists alike with an extensive drinks menu, cut-above food, and an exciting, expensive ambience.

This is Perth's number one gay-friendly nightclub, but it's far more dimensional than its drag queen shows, party beats, and mirror balls. The venue has a classy, industrial-chic lounge bar within the club that opens two hours earlier, at 8 pm. It's like a small bar hidden in the busy core. The bar opens out to a fantastic open-air deck that has whistle-worthy views of the CBD. It's a great place to marvel at the skyline with a bespoke cocktail in hand. The club and lounge bar stay open till 5 am on Friday and Saturday nights, making it one of the latest late-night venues in Perth.

Sleek and sophisticated, Cru Bar + Cellar has leather ottomans, a long onyx bar, circa-1800 French chandeliers, and a fine-wine-loving clientele. Cru's huge cellar houses hundreds of top Australian vintages, to drink on-site or later; the cocktail menu is also extensive and impressive. Cheese tasting plates are available all day. The dinner menu, designed by an award-winning chef, has a focus on Australian ingredients.

Eve is a glitzy, two-story venue done up with stainless steel and retro fittings. Thursday through Sunday, the five bars, cozy lounge areas, stage, and dance floor with sound-and-light show reverberate to the sounds of renowned DJs spinning the latest dance tunes. Doors open at 9 pm. There's free entry Friday through Sunday before 10 pm.

This popular wine and tapas bar has a wonderful shop where you can browse among 300 types of Tasmanian wines and pick up a cheese platter for an impromptu picnic. Choose to sit outside and watch the world go by or enjoy the intimate, laid-back indoor space. Wines are served in trendy Reidel O tumblers. There's live music in the evening toward the end of the week.

This American-theme whiskey bar may be small, but it's packed with pizzazz and down-to-earth vibes.  The original owners, a brother-and-sister team, were motivated to re-create some of the flavors and feels of a "back to roots" road trip to Missouri to visit Grandma. In late 2018, it changed ownership but the ambience is still the same. With more than 100 bourbons and other very American drops (think moonshine) at the ready, this boutique bar is the place for a quiet drink and some USA-inspired eats.

Friday meal special is a $10 burger and fries.

Built as an iconic hotel in the 1940s, the original structure survived the bombing of Darwin and Cyclone Tracy only to be torn down in 1999 and rebuilt as the popular bar and restaurant you see today. Stop by for daily lunch specials between 11:30 am and 2:30 pm (or daily dinner specials between 6 pm and 9 pm), catch a game inside the sports bar, try your luck with with the keno and UBET machines, or grab a drink and listen to live music in the spacious outdoor beer garden.

This rooftop haunt is furnished with market umbrellas and upcycled bench tables, which make it both welcoming and hip. In 2021, a brand-new retractable roof keeps the deck, and patrons, dry when it rains. Access to this happening bar is via a rear lane coated in street art, adding to the intrigue. With upward of 30 craft beers, a rotating cocktail menu, and creative bartenders that know how to make just about any mixed drink known to man, it's a surefire bet for a good time. Owners, a husband-and-wife team, aimed to create a neighborhood atmosphere when they moved into the gritty urban suburb of Northbridge, and they have. 

The cool kids head to this raucous, art deco pub warmed by roaring log fires to watch nightly live music, including plenty of top Tasmanian and touring bands. The food on offer is excellent and good value.

Thanks to its selection of craft beers and right-in-the-middle-of-it location, the Heritage-listed Sail and Anchor Pub is one of Australia's most popular watering holes. You can watch buskers from the balcony, enjoy live music in the front bar, watch the game or UFC, and partake of no-nonsense pub grub at the bistro. There are comfy couches upstairs.

Known as the Subi, this gastropub attracts a lively after-work crowd during the week—especially on Friday—and has an excellent, busy restaurant that serves sophisticated pub grub from the bar menu and elegant cuisine at the bistro. Built in 1897, this much-loved establishment is rich in history and drenched in true-blue Aussie vibes. 

This lively waterfront is popular for both dining and drinking—it's something of a Hobart institution (new owners took over in 2021 and renamed and redecorated the site). Patrons have the choice of sitting inside or out, noshing on dishes made from Tasmanian ingredients (with many dishes that can be shared), sipping wine and handcrafted cocktails, and looking out over the harbor. 

Canberra's liveliest nightspot draws hip crowd to its stylish, glitzy premises. The main room hosts DJs, live bands, and fun theme party nights. A roving photographer snaps partygoers and dancers.

Inspired by the New York jazz scene, The Ellington is the place for jazz in Perth. It may not have curb appeal but this place hops seven nights a week in an intimate and sophisticated setting. A low-key tapas menu is available; be prepared to share a table with other patrons for sold-out performances. Entrance fees apply and it's best to reserve your tickets online in advance. 

This sexy little number is as sultry as the jazzy tunes that fill the discreet laneway space each night. A number of the cocktails use smoked ice cubes—not to be confused with tacky dry ice—giving the liquor a heavenly, charred dimension. There are live jazz performances most nights.

The bar is accessed down a laneway off Murray Street—look out for the "red carpet" painted on the pavement.