The Thirsty Tourists Take on Sydney – Day 1: Business Class, Big Beers and a Daylight Saving Blunder!
An early flight to Sydney meant a trip to Brisbane the day before. Rather than setting the alarm for some ungodly hour and driving to the airport half asleep, we decided to make life a little easier.
And with Business Class tickets in hand, it would have been rude not to take advantage of the Virgin Australia Lounge before our flight. A little lounge luxury, something to eat and a chance to get into holiday mode before we’d even left Queensland. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it! 😂✈️
Before long, we were aboard and heading to Sydney. The service was great, the flight was uneventful, and we soon found ourselves collecting our luggage and jumping on a train to Circular Quay.
Sydney, here we come!
🏨 Home Away from Home
Whenever we visit Sydney, we generally stay at the Rendezvous Hotel at The Rocks. It’s a familiar base, conveniently located for exploring the historic streets, soaking up the atmosphere and, of course, visiting a few of our favourite watering holes.
After dropping off our bags, we were keen to get out and start exploring. First on the agenda was a visit to Harts Pub to grab some photos for our Where Were We Wednesday / Where Are We Wednesday feature.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, apparently, quite a bit when you forget about daylight saving!
🤦♂️ Rookie Error Number One
We wandered up to Harts Pub, full of enthusiasm and ready to get the photos sorted, only to discover the doors weren’t open yet.
Oops!
I’d forgotten to account for daylight saving. Apparently, Sydney had moved on an hour, but my planning hadn’t quite caught up. You’d think after all our travels I’d have this sort of thing sorted by now. Clearly, there’s still room for improvement! Fortunately, this wasn’t a major disaster. We were in Sydney, surrounded by pubs, and had absolutely no shortage of alternative options.
Time for Plan B!
🍺 Munich Brauhaus – Only 210 Steps to Happiness
Our alternative destination was Munich Brauhaus Sydney, just 210 steps from our accommodation. Yes, I counted. Well, not necessarily every step personally, but it’s close enough to qualify as excellent research!
Our first visit here was back in 2013, when I discovered something rather important: they can serve beer by the litre. Now, when the staff asked me what size beer I wanted, I simply pointed upwards.
No complicated ordering process. No need for a lengthy discussion about schooners, pints or other assorted measurements.
It’s funny how some travel memories stick with you. Some people remember famous landmarks, museums and historical buildings. I remember where I discovered a one-litre beer. Priorities, people! 🍻
With the first stop sorted, the Sydney pub crawl was officially underway.
🍻 Three Pubs Before Check-In? That’s More Like It!
From Munich Brauhaus, we continued our adventures with visits to the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel and Hotel Palisade.
Not a bad start to the Sydney tour, especially considering we’d only arrived today.
Eventually, it was time to head back to the Rendezvous, check into our room and freshen up. Even professional tourists need to unpack occasionally!
We had a little rest before deciding where to head for dinner. Given our earlier failure to gain entry to Harts Pub, the decision was pretty easy.
Harts it was!
🏛️Harts Pub – History, Heritage and Hoppy Possibilities
Harts Pub has been championing Sydney’s craft beer scene since 2009, so it seemed like a natural choice for The Thirsty Tourists.
Originally formed from three terrace houses, the venue has quite a story to tell. It survived the post-bubonic plague demolitions that swept through The Rocks and has been associated with some interesting characters over the years, including Margaret Fulton, one of Australia’s great culinary pioneers.
Today, Harts has been renovated with an eye for historical accuracy and has built a reputation as one of Sydney’s recognised craft beer venues.
With a rotating selection of craft beers and a menu designed to complement the brews, it certainly sounded promising. History, character, good food and interesting beer? What’s not to like? Well, we were about to find out!
🍔 The Southern Fried Chicken Burger Saves the Day
Let’s get one thing straight: the food was a winner.
I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken Burger, and it went down an absolute treat. No complaints there! If the beer selection had been as successful as the food, we’d have been onto a real winner.
Unfortunately, the evening’s tasting session took a slightly different turn.
🍺 The Beer Report: Not Every Brew Is a Winner!
I decided to try the Milk Choc Orange Stout, while Mrs Thirsty went for the Mid Strength Lager.
Now, we’re always willing to try something new. After all, that’s part of the fun of visiting different pubs and discovering what they have on offer.
Sometimes you stumble across a beer that becomes an instant favourite. Other times, you take a sip and think, Well, at least I can say I’ve tried it!
This was leaning towards the second category. Neither of us was particularly taken with our chosen brew, and there wasn’t a mad dash back to the bar for another round.
Before the craft beer enthusiasts start sharpening their pitchforks, let’s make one thing clear: beer is a personal thing. Everyone has different tastes, and what doesn’t work for us might be exactly what someone else is looking for.
But for our palates, these two weren’t quite hitting the mark.
The food? Excellent.
The beer? Let’s call it an opportunity for further investigation!
🔎 The Case of the Missing Favourite Beer
So, is Harts Pub off our Sydney itinerary?
Not on your life!
We’re not about to write off an entire pub because two beers didn’t float our boats. There are plenty more brews on the menu, and we’re certainly prepared to put in the hard yards to investigate them. In fact, I’m already thinking the Red Ale deserves a spot on the tasting list for our next visit.
It’s a tough job, sampling all these beers, but somebody has to do it. And if that somebody happens to be me, well, I’m willing to make the sacrifice! 😂🍻
Harts has the history, the atmosphere and a menu worth returning for. We enjoyed the food, and there’s still plenty of beer left to explore.
We’ll simply have to come back and continue our research. Purely in the interests of beer appreciation, of course!
🍻 Day One in Sydney: A Pretty Good Start!
Despite our little daylight saving hiccup, Day One turned out to be a great introduction to our Sydney adventures. We’d enjoyed the Business Class treatment, travelled into the city, visited several pubs, and finished with a good feed at a historic Sydney watering hole.
Not a bad day’s work! And the best part? This was only the beginning.
There were plenty more pubs to visit, new places to discover and, hopefully, a few more beers that would earn a place on our favourites list.
After all, sightseeing is important. But when you’re The Thirsty Tourists, the pub stops are part of the itinerary!
🍻 The Thirsty Tourists — Touring is thirsty work!
#TheThirstyTourists #SydneyAdventures #TheRocks #SydneyPubs #CraftBeer #PubCrawl #TouringIsThirstyWork
