Legendary Territory Waterholes

Anecdotally, back in the day, The Northern Territory generally, and Darwin in particular, had the highest consumption of beer per head of population ( annually )  in the world. This was something Territorians were justifiably proud of. Visitors and tourists alike, often helped with the statistics, doubling or tripling their normal intake of the amber fluid. 
See, its hot up here, hot all year round, and there is no finer sensation in the world than necking an icy cold green can ( Victoria Bitter ) after a 10 or 12 hour stint out in blazing hot sun. Sorta like an angel pissing on your tonsils.......ahhhh....bliss !
Before the world became pussyfied, and alfresco dining in the streets became the norm, wine bars and man bun wearing metrosexual waiters serving imported Euro beers, the Territory spawned some truely epic 'blood house' Pubs and licenced Roadhouses, many of which have stories that have become the stuff of legend.

This song by Territory legend Ted Egan sums it up right accross the Top End, in fact all of the place. This bloke later became the Queen's Representative, the Administrator of The Northern Territory. A decent piss artist too, which didn't hold him back from the highest office to be had up our way.
the song is called, "We've Got Some Bloody Good Drinkers...."


Some 'old school' Darwin pubs, The Victoria, oldest pub, survived 3 devastating Cyclones and  Japanese air raids in WW2, the Berrimah, the place where bikies do burnouts on the floor of the Saloon Bar, the barmaids serve beer sans clothes, The Winnellie, the Dolphin and also  Lims Hotel, also known as the 'Church' or St Lims, because thats where everyone town went to drink on Sunday. home of the infamous 'Rage in the Cage', where bands played inside a wire and reo mesh enclosure for protection.
www.ntnews.com.au/business/nt-business/the-old-bar-from-the-rage-in-the-cage-days-at-lims-hotel-sold/news-story/ad5d3e04ce815b901f7e5708862b36f5
www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-20/barefoot-mudcrab-tying-world-championships-1994-at-lims-hotel-nt/11985888

Darwin ( 1991-2020 normals )


Humpty Doo Hotel
On the outskirts of Darwin, its one of the few places in the world you can actually see Charles Darwin's theories in action....evolution of man from ape, survival of the fittest etc. and all before lunch time on any day of the week. and thats the women ! The menfolk are way rougher !
Home of the Darwin Stubby Drinking Competion, the undisputed champion is/was Norman The Bull.



Humpty Doo/Middle Point



Rum Jungle
Home of the Northern Territory's first Uranium Mine, an old prospector by the name of Jack White made the discovery of payable ore on his property at Rum Jungle in 1949. He was subsequently paid 25,000 pounds reward for the discovery by the federal Govt. The town of Batchelor about 60 miles south of darwin was established to service the construction of the mine. There are some legendary drinking exploits in the archives at the Batchelor museum.
I think old Jack liked a drink or 3 as well. In later life he contracted Leperosy ( he spent many years living with Aboriginals who had also caught this terrible disease. )
batchelormuseum.org.au/mining/
Legend has it that in 1871, 40 miles south of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory, a bullock cart carrying provisions (including rum barrels) to construction workers became bogged down in a jungle near the East Finniss River. A week passed before rescue and as you can imagine, within that time, the rum was consumed. The now rather merry bunch decided to call the area, Rum Jungle.

Batchelor/Rum Jungle



Roper Bar
Well, not a bar in the alcohol sense of the word, rather a rocky crossing about 80klm upstream from the mouth of the Roper River, about as far inland as the tide pushes up the river. In the late 19th/early 20th century, it was a wild west type settlement with all sorts of nefarious characters, black and white, inhabiting the region. The Colonial Govt of the day built a police post at the Bar to impose some law and order on an otherwise lawless region. It hasn't worked... the area is still full of feral blackfellas, feral fishermen, feral ringers ( cowboys ) and feral miners... the Police Station was closed in 1980, and the Blackfellas burnt down the old police house some time later. The Roper Bar is the Border between Blackfella Arnhemland and the ordinary Territory, so no grog is allowed into Arnhemland. The locals make the 180klm run into Mataranka to get on the sauce, cause mayhem etc, then drive back to the Bar, where the stop and drink all the rest of their supplies before heading home to Ngukurr 30klm away.. If they havent killed 'emselves through pissy driving, they sleep it off on the civilized side of the Border ( the old Police Station Historical Site ). I have seen empty VB cans, wine cask goon bags, Rum bottles etc waist deep at the Site.....every 8 to 10 years or so a bloody great flood comes down the Roper River and washes it all away. Excellent !
I've worked out there, its an oppressive climate, tailor made for drinking beer, the chick who owned the Roper Bar Store refused to get a liquor licence saying she didn't want blackfellas camped on her doorstep trying to buy booze. 



W0rking out here 1993

Awful hot climate




Daly Waters
Another legendary Territory Hotel. 6 hours south of Darwin on the Stuart Highway, the place has been a boozehounds home away from home for over 100 years.
Jeez I've had some fun here, even nearly burning the place down in the winter of 2002 trying to light the fire in the lounge part of the Bar.... hmmmm ....shouldn't have tried as they damn near put me off tap !
The trap is, there never used to be a closing time, the bar would stay open if there was a patron up drinking at all sorts of stupid o'clock !
dalywaterspub.com/
A few beers for breakfast





Daly waters, can get a bit chilly in winter, hot as buggery in the 'Wet'.