Hamilton Station Hotel

The Hamilton Station located on Newcastle’s popular Beaumont Street is a working man’s pub. Situated directly across from Hamilton train station, you could be forgiven for walking straight past it.

The exterior décor leaves something to be desired, as this is a classic old school looking pub, with blacked out windows and thick cement walls covered in weather damaged paint. Don’t be deterred by its tough exterior though, as its all part of the Station’s character. 

 Inside the Station (depending on what time of day it is) you’ll find a truly confusing mix of patrons.

Men in work boots and overalls, Goths, singlet wearing bogans, sports fans and even the occasional Hens parties can all be found here.

 It’s a mixed grill but no one seems to mind and the mixture of the crowd works to create a lively atmosphere.

The station staff are friendly and attentive, from the barman,  Kitchen staff to the security all are more then willing to help you out or have a chat.

The Station has all the usual staples you’d expect from a typical Newcastle bar, including TAB, Pool table and outdoor courtyard. The Station also has a stage, which is for variety of bands throughout the week. On Saturday nights they often close off the restaurant area and have metal bands playing separately from the main pub area. The Station is very big on its sports, you can usually find all major sporting events airing on the project screen and various flat screens, including boxing matches.

 On weekends the standout is karaoke. This worth checking out, as the Station’s crowed is passionate about their Karaoke.

Like most bars in Newcastle, drinking is where the Station excels. Now, to truly appreciate drinking at the Station, you must follow my instructions to the letter.  Do not be swayed by the bright flashy beer taps and fancy spirit bottles on display.

Step 1: Approach the bar.

Step 2: Simply say to the barman:  ‘Beer of the month mate’. 

Step 3: Repeat at your leisure.

 The beer of the month at the Station is exactly what it sounds like. Each month the Station has a promotion beer on for a low price, roughly $4.00-$5.00 a beer.

 It’s a great deal and the beers that are promoted are (usually) quite good. Besides this they have cheap $4.00 spirits (usually Bourbon and Vodka) on special for student night every Wednesday.

The food at the Station is provided by a restaurant called Sniddy's.  For a bit of history, Sniddy’s used to have it’s own restaurant in Beaumont street before merging with the Station.

Given the name it’s obvious that it’s main attraction is the Schnitzel, so it’s a given it would have to be good?   

Well yes and no. Sniddy’s schnitzels are good but not the best Newcastle has to offer (nor the cheapest).

Besides schnitzels, they offer a variety of different foods from steak to seafood.

For value for money, it’s hard to go past the $12.50 menu, which offers a good variety of food from burgers, Pastas, Nachos, Steak Sandwich’s to (of course) chicken schnitzel.

Don’t let it’s tough look exterior stop you, it’s well worth your while to check the Hamilton Station. Whether it’s the affordable drinks, The $12.50 meals or the interesting crowd, it’s got something for everyone.

Check out The Hamilton Station Here: https://www.facebook.com/hamiltonstationhotel

As always thank you for reading and please leave your thoughts, feedback and indistinguishable ranting below.

Bar Petite

Bar Petite has a style all of it’s own. Comfy wooden padded arm chairs and lounges cover the polished wooden floors. The walls are covered with a variety of mirrors and various elegant styles painting hanging on the walls.

This all works together to create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere that can only be descried as chic.

Located on 5/5 King Street NSW 2300 is tucked away in the back corner Courtyard, next door to the Royal. An easy marker to find it the Cooperate Art Whale that is directly across form the bar.

To compliment this, the bar offers a variety of  Craft beers, cocktails and wines. 

The beers on Tap set the tone of the drinks, offering imported American Beer Millers Draft to the classy Australian local: Crown Lager.

You won’t find any Carlton or Tooheys New here. 

Cocktails include the Manhattan, blackberry sour and the Mint Tulip. There is a good wine selection with a variety of both red & white wines being sourced from Victoria, Western Australia and the Hunter Valley.

There is a wide variety of food on offer, as well as small seating area to eat. The food also reflects the tone of the bar which includes French Fries with homemade BBQ sauce, Tempura Prawn Cutlets and the Grilled Chorizo Spanish sherry with Sourdough. The food is really tasty, though don't come here looking for a cheap meal with big portions.

The bar often has live musical acts. It’s a very intimate affair, with acts engaging and encouraging audience participation (making it a great place for a casual date)

Bar Petite offers a unique experience in Newcastle. It’s a breath of fresh air for patrons looking for an alternative to the bigger bars and night clubs.

It offers something for everyone, from friends looking to for a casual drink, all the way up to group functions.

 

Whether you are visiting Newcastle or a local looking for something new Bar Petite is well worth your time to check out.

Bar Petite Website:  http://www.barpetite.com.au/index.html

As always thank you for reading and please leave your thoughts, feedback and indistinguishable ranting below.

Unity Nightclub

SJ’s or Unity, whatever it’s called, is a good time. For those not in the know, Unity (let’s go with that) is Beaumont street’s gay & lesbian bar. It’s located directly across from Hamilton train station, so it’s very easy to find.

During the day, you’ll find a bunch of old regulars watching sports and playing Keno and you’d be pressed to tell Unity apart from any other local pub. Not that’s it’s not worth a visit during the day mind you.

If you’re looking for good, affordable pub food, then go no further than Unity. They have a big dining area and offer a wide variety of $10-$15.00 meals.

 These range from the classic $10.00 steak burger with chips to crumbed $15.00 lamb cutlets or my personal favorite: the $10.00 chicken and mushroom crepe with chips. No matter what you chose all the meals have a healthy serving size, so you won’t leave hungry.

 Now, let’s say you’re not hungry for food, you’re hungry to party! Well you’re in luck, night time is when Unity becomes Fabulous!  Friday and Saturday nights, Unity cranks up the volume along with the tempo and goes into full night club mode.

With remixed pop, dance and top 40 beats assaulting your senses as you dance the night away.

 At regular intervals throughout the evening the club puts on the ‘Unity Dancers’ who gyrate for you amusement, or a fabulous Drag show. If that’s not your thing there is a moderate sized courtyard out the back where you can smoke and discuss important issues like how many margarita’s a T-Rex could drink (Hint: It’s a lot!).

 As you can expect for a gay bar the crowd is out for a good time and everyone is in high (read: Drunken) spirits. There’s a good mix of men and women but it does seem to have more gay men than women. For the straight punters out there (Myself included) the club still has plenty to offer.
There is a pleasant lack of 'riff-raff' allowing everyone to have a fun, relaxing night.

A down side is that Unity charges a cover charge of $10.00 and is the only place on Beaumont St that does this. The drinks are not overpriced for the venue and they have a cocktail special from 5pm-7pm if you’re super keen.All in all, I like Unity. It’s a fun club with a good atmosphere and a convenient location, I highly recommend it.
At the time of writing this, Unity is undergoing some renovations and changes, hopefully to become bigger and better!
Check out Unity Night Club here for more info: http://www.facebook.com/unitynightclub?fref=ts