You can always tell a ripper pub by the number of locals who go there. Our pubs are the lifeblood of our villages.

We unwind sipping on a glass of pinot from the winery down the road and celebrate the local footy club win over a few pints. We support our pubs through thick and thin and expect only the best in return – way more than a good parma and a nice cold beer.

Traditional pub grub is not good enough. We like seasonally-based modern menus made with our produce, just like they serve at The Farmers Arms in Daylesford and The Victoria Hotel in Woodend.

We demand great beer, preferably brewed onsite. Holgate Brewhouse in Woodend and the Tooborac Brewery are two prime examples. These fine establishments have beer that would make the most loyal VB drinker convert.

A great pub must also ripple with history, like the Red Hill Hotel in Chewton. This hotel has been around for 165 years. Then there’s the Swiss Mountain Hotel in Blampied. It is one of the oldest weatherboard pubs in Victoria.  Not to mention the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Trentham, where the old stables are now the bar, and an acre of gardens forms the perfect backdrop for sipping on your cider.

If a pub’s not filled with tales from years gone by, it has to have a unique charm and a big personality. You’ll find exactly that when you have a pint at the Macedon Railway Hotel or the Wallace Hotel.

Regardless, of beer, tucker and atmosphere, every pub must have excellent country hospitality. You should grin with pleasure on arrival and leave longing to return. Visiting pubs like the Daylesford Hotel, the Malmsbury Hotel and the Pig & Whistle in Trentham will feel like coming home.

So, next time you’re on your way to one of our local watering holes, throw your expectations of pub grub and beer out the car window. Soak up the view and set that ‘bar’ high, as you sit in an establishment filled with charm and country hospitality, regaled with tales from years gone by, eating some of the best modern pub food ever and sipping on a local glass of our finest.

@zaligarrety_coach

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WALLACE HOTEL (website coming soon) – wallacehotel.com.au
SWISS MOUNTAIN HOTEL – swissmountainhotel.com.au
DAYLESFORD HOTEL – daylesfordhotel.com.au
FARMERS ARMS HOTEL DAYLESFORD – thefarmersarms.com.au
THE RED HILL HOTEL – redhillhotel.com.au
THE MALMSBURY HOTEL (website coming soon)
TOOBORAC HOTEL & BREWERY – tooborachotel.com.au
MACEDON RAILWAY HOTEL – macedonrailwayhotel.com.au
THE VICTORIA HOTEL – thevictoriawoodend.com.au
HOLGATE BREWHOUSE – holgatebrewhouse.com
PIG & WHISTLE HOTEL – pigandwhistlehotel.com
THE COSMOPOLITAN HOTEL – thecosmopolitanhotel.com.au

About the author

Zali Garrety
Zali Garrety
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When Zali Garrety isn't downing coffee and writing in her favourite cafes in Woodend, she's working with the stunning artisan businesses in the region on their marketing and socials. She can also be spotted attempting to outrun her offspring on the tracks on Mount Macedon, bomb diving unsuspecting swimmers at Turpin Falls and stuffing her face with some of the best food in Victoria in Piper St.