terogen

Hi, Anyone know of any fun,local pubs in Sydney and Cairns. We have a pre-trip planned for several days early January to both places before we hop on the Sapphire Princess for a cruise. We are a group 5 to 6 /35-50 year old fun girls,(I hate the word "ladies&quot, that's my mom, not me. Looking to rub elbows with the locals, a few cute single local guys wouldn't hurt. Not really into the club scene, looking for places with more of a neighborhood feel. thanks for any help.

Geordie

I would suggest an area somewhere like "The Rocks" in Sydney.

Its easy to get to and the pubs have character and a good atmosphere

One of the most famous pubs there is 'The Lord Nelson", its reputed to be Sydbey's oldest hotel and its a good place to start the night

www.lordnelsonbrewery.com

Around the corner is The Hero of Waterloo

www.heroofwaterloo.com.au

Once again this place has character.

A couple more places that are popular in The Rocks are

http://www.lowenbrau.com.au

and

www.belgian-beer-cafe.com.au (the cafe in Harrington St)

Geordie

chimani

Hi,

depends what you mean by "pub" and what you mean by "fun".

To me a "pub" with character should be a pokie free zone - and there aren't too many of them in Sydney. A pokie, I should explain, is a poker machine or fruit machine or one-armed-bandit, depending on your lingo (and, possibly, age!).

I think The Hero of Waterloo may be one such. And they have jazz there on Saturday afternoons, I believe. Someone will chime in to correct me if I am wrong.

You could do worse than visit some of the pubs in Balmain. "The London" is very popular, and if there are pokies, they are well hidden. But perhaps the age range is more 20-35. "The Cat and Fiddle" on Darling Street has live music most nights and a great atmosphere. Anyways, a trip to Balmain on the ferry is fun, and there are plenty of good places to eat.

Cairns has an altogether different pub scene - with plenty of wet T shirt competitions and the like. Though, of course, there will be some that aren't like that. A local will advise.

Racking my brains to think of others.

Have a great time!

april85s

One of my favorite places to go out in Sydney is The Establishment. My girlfriends and I would go there every Thursday and eat Sushi in the Sushi bar upstairs and drink cocktails in the lounge then head downstairs later in the evening when the crowd started coming in. The sushi is delicious, the chefs are very friendly, and the atmosphere is more upscale. We saw Chris Noth (Mr. Big from sex and the city)there one night which was pretty cool.

If you go there for sushi, make sure you make sure you make reservations.

http://www.merivale.com/establishment

sunsurfsand

Down at the Rocks, the Mercantile has Irish Pub Music and The Fortunes of War has great jazz.
The Brooklyn, which is further up George Street also has jazz.
Or you could try the Argyle Bar which is in the old Argyle wool store at the Rocks.
In North Sydney you have the Rag and Famish (1860) or Firehouse (old North Sydney fire station) or the Greenwood which is the old North Sydney School - lovely sandstone buildings and lots of outdoor areas and gardens. And great views of the bridge and harbour.

Have fun!!

terogen

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post. I wish we had more time in both Sydney and Carins. The Rocks sound like a great place to start. I had no idea what a "pokie" was in Australia. We have gambling in Minnesota but only on Indian reservation land. Thanks again for all the great ideas. I am getting so excited I can hardly stand it. Australia, NZ has always been my dream trip and I am finally going to get to live my dream. cheers!