Pubs have always been the heart and hub of towns and villages along the Great Ocean Road. This welcoming vibe continues today, but the food is better, the beer choices are braver and the beer gardens are pretty fancy.
From the oldest hotel to local craft beer, vast beer gardens and seriously good food. When travelling, most of us like to experience food, drinks and atmosphere of the local area, and there is no better place to experience this than at the local pub! Classic, simple and unpretentious. Check out our round-up of the best golden-oldie pubs along the Great Ocean Road.
Established in 1887 as the Ballarat Hotel, this grand old lady is the oldest hotel on our list.
The Great Ocean Road Brewhouse (renamed in 2015) is a craft beer haven located in Apollo Bay, where the hills meet the ocean. They support Australian Independent breweries, including Prickly Moses Handcrafted Beer, and cider makers, with over 100 local craft beers and ciders on offer.
The award-winning bistro has some turbo-charged pub classics and you can dance off your meal with live music every weekend. Some of the clientele here are enjoying the company of their furry friends, as this pub is dog-friendly. They even sell a beer for dogs and have a “dog wall of fame”! A must-visit when travelling to our region. Budget-friendly accommodation is available in the beautiful Heritage Rooms upstairs.
Surrounded by nature, ocean on one side and the Otway National Park on the other. The Airey’s Pub is environmentally conscious with solar panels powering the brewery and a regular contributor to the Sea Shepherd campaigns, so you can feel good about going to this place and enjoying a crisp house made beer in one of the best beer gardens you will ever visit.
Lifting old-school pubs up a notch is Hotel Warrnambool, a traditional and charming Australian pub, that has been pouring drinks since 1890.
Making this pub the second oldest on our list, after the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse, former Ballarat Hotel. The food is a seriously impressive take on pub classics (think maple-glazed duck breast, almond crumbed chicken breast, and lamb rump with pea puree), combined with an atmosphere that will instantly make you feel like a local, no matter where you’re from.
This place has to be one of the best pubs in Warrnambool.
The Railway View Hotel has stood tall amongst the community for decades and is an icon in the country town of Timboon.
The thing about real old-school pubs is that you tend not to find them on the Coast. They tend to be tucked away in small country towns, down winding roads, and in the heart of local villages.
So next time you’re heading out to the ocean views of the Great Ocean Road, Railway View Hotel in Timboon should be on your list of places to visit for a truly local experience. Think flashbacks to classic, home-style cooking like Grandma’s. There’s even accommodation if you want to make a weekend of it.
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Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Great Ocean Road region the Wadawurrung, Eastern Maar & Gunditjmara. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We recognise and respect their unique cultural heritage and the connection to their traditional lands. We commit to building genuine and lasting partnerships that recognise, embrace and support the spirit of reconciliation, working towards self-determination, equity of outcomes and an equal voice for Australia’s first people.
