The best country pubs in WA

Travel & Touring| WA Things to Do

28 May, 2024 By: Monique Ceccato

Country watering holes have a unique brand of hospitality and charm that no city-based venue can fully replicate. To experience it at its finest, nominate a designated driver and set off on a day trip or weekender to enjoy the warmth and history of these country pubs.

We asked our members which country pubs in WA they loved the most. Here are 20 of their favourites.

RELATED:Dog friendly pit stops in WA's South West »

Perth and surrounds

Mundaring Weir Hotel

Location: Mundaring

Opening hours: 10:00am - 10:00pm, seven days

After a morning hiking along the trails surrounding the Mundaring Weir, refuel with a hearty pub meal at the Mundaring Weir Hotel. Cloaked by the state forest, the now-converted Colonial home was originally built in the 1890s to house men working on the weir. Now, it serves customers in search of a good feed and a relaxed setting. Stop by mid-week for a meal in the shady amphitheatre, or head there on a Sunday to enjoy the expanded menu featuring goods from the pizza oven.

The Victoria Hotel

Location: Toodyay

Opening hours: 11:00am onwards, seven days

Though fully updated from its original 1888 build, Toodyay’s local watering hole still has all the character of a bygone era. Its stately red brick façade and Federation-style balcony cut an impressive figure on the main street, and inside, exposed brick and pressed tin ceilings keep the heritage aesthetic alive. Bring the family down and dine on a generously portioned schnitzel or steak (the kitchen does all the pub classics), enjoying views of the rolling Avon Valley hills from the spacious enclosed deck out the back.

The Endeavour Hotel

Location: Lancelin

Opening hours: 11:00am - evening, seven days

The Endeavour Hotel is a contender for the ‘WA’s best beer garden’ title. Overlooking the Indian Ocean at Lancelin, views don’t get much better than this. On a sunny day, bring the family and the dog and enjoy a seafood-filled Fisherman's basket at one of the picnic tables on the grass. Stay until 5:00pm to watch the evening’s sports match with the locals on the big screens inside.

Dwellingup Community Hotel

Location: Dwellingup

Opening hours: Seven days

The ‘Dwelly Pub’ isn’t your standard ‘steak and chips’ kind of place. While it is on the menu — along with pizzas, burgers, a nasi goreng, and curry of the week — ordering it means more than just putting some cash in the pub’s till. As the only remaining community-owned hotel in WA, every meal and drink order helps support local projects and initiatives in the town. Visit the historic pub to do your bit for Dwellingup, defrost by the roaring open fire, and enjoy the warm feeling you get both inside and out.

The Parkerville Tavern

Location: Parkerville

Opening hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm, seven days

Conveniently, ‘The Parky’ sits across from an easily accessible section of the 41km Railway Reserves Heritage Trail. Bring the family for a morning walk along the trail, and follow it as far as you please before doubling back. Lunch and a cold drink await at the two-storey Colonial tavern on your return. Choose from the pub classics, the substantial pizza menu, or the tapas menu. During the week, kids eat for $10 when you order any main meal.

The South West

Shelter Brewing Co

Location: Busselton

Opening hours: 7:00am - 10:00pm, seven days

Few pubs around WA are open from early morning until late at night. Shelter is an exception, serving coffee and croissants from their Busselton Jetty adjacent cafe to early morning jetty walkers. Come lunch, the entire cavernous venue opens up to the park in front, inviting you in for nostalgic beachside bites like chip butties, fish finger sandwiches, and moreish mussels. Kids can play on the vintage caravan-inspired playground while parents kick back and take in the view.

Tall Timbers

Location: Manjimup

Opening hours: Mon - Thurs 11:00am - 9:00pm, Fri - Sat 11:00am - 11:00pm, Sun 11:00am - 3:00pm

Everybody is welcome at Manjimup’s cafe-restaurant-brewery hybrid, Tall Timbers, including well-behaved four-legged friends. Keep them on the lead, and they’re welcome to join you beneath an umbrella in the paved beer garden. While they relax in the shade, busy yourself with the venue’s hyper-local menu — think hand-cut Manjimup chips, smoked Pemberton trout pate, and bread with local truffle butter. Designated drivers needn’t miss out on the ales, with the Tall Timbers Brewing Co range also available to take away.

Settler's Tavern

Location: Margaret River

Opening hours: Sun - Thurs 11:00am - 10:00pm, Fri - Sat 11:00am - 11:30pm

A visit to the Margaret River township isn’t complete without a stop at Settler’s Tavern, a short drive from RAC Margaret River Nature Park. Dinner here on any night of the week is a winner, but head in on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night, and the smoker will slowly be infusing its flavour into juicy, tender beef brisket out in the beer garden. While that’s doing its thing outside, local music acts take to the stage inside. Live music is the heart and soul of Settlers, so there’s never a weekend without it.

Bridgetown Hotel

Location: Bridgetown

Opening hours: 11:00am - late, seven days

It’s a pleasant stroll up Bridgetown’s main road from the Blackwood River to the Bridgetown Hotel. The pub has been a feature of the small town since the 1920s, but a 2007 facelift turned it into the bustling meeting place it is today. Like most venues of its era, there’s a large wrap-around balcony, but it’s for guest’s using the hotel’s accommodation only. Instead, wining and dining customers can sit on the veranda out front or on the backyard garden deck.

Caves House Hotel

Location: Yallingup

Opening hours: 10:00am - late, seven days

Wind your way from watching the big surf at Yallingup Beach and through the 1.8 hectares of landscaped gardens to Caves House, the tight-knit beachside community’s iconic and long-standing watering hole. There’s no dress code here, so sandy feet (in flip-flops, as a minimum) and board shorts are welcome. Pull up a pew in the shade on the deck and refuel with the steak, fish, or pasta ‘of the day’ special. In the cooler months, head inside to one of the restored heritage rooms and nab a spot by the gas fireplace.

The Wokalup Tavern

Location: Wokalup

Opening hours: Monday - Tuesday 11:00am - 7:00pm, Wednesday - Sunday 10:00am - 8:00pm

The meat raffle tradition remains alive and well at ‘The Woky’. Buy a drink — any of the adjoining brewery’s ales, a glass of wine, or a cocktail will do — between 4:30pm and 6:30pm on Thursdays, and you’re in with a chance to win that week’s $100 assorted meat bundle. Stay for a meal, and you won’t be disappointed, with the kitchen pumping out everything from steak sandwiches and parmis to butter-poached barramundi and sticky Chinese-spice pork belly.

Bremer Bay Resort Restaurant

Location: Bremer Bay

Opening hours: 10:00am - 8:00pm, seven days

Built from sandstone and accented with dark timber, Bremer Bay Resort’s restaurant is a warm and inviting place to enjoy a hearty meal and glass of Great Southern Wine. Start light with some oysters before moving on to porchetta, fish and chips, or fish tacos. On a blustery day, cosy up inside while watching the storm roll in over the bay. If it’s sunny and warm, take a seat outside to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze.

Premier Mill Hotel

Location: Katanning

Opening hours: Sunday - Tuesday 3:00pm - 9:00pm, Tuesday - Saturday 3:00pm - 10:00pm

Though not technically a pub, the Premier Mill Hotel’s Cordial Bar is so good it deserves a spot on this list. Hidden below ground, in the old machine room of the historic flour mill-turned-hotel, the bar is built around original early-1900s timber beams and machinery parts. Order some olives and chicken nibbles to get started, and make sure you try one of the handmade mixers; they’re an ode to the old mill owner’s later foray into making commercial cordials and sodas.

The Earl of Spencer

Location: Albany

Opening hours: Monday - Wednesday 11:30am - 10:00pm, Thursday - Saturday 11:30am - midnight, Sunday 3:00pm - 9:30pm

The Earl isn’t quite like other pubs. Sure, there are your chicken parmi and schnitzel pub classics (price bundled with a pint for good measure), but what the historic bar, inn, and restaurant is really known for is its Old English-style dishes; think beef and ale pie with chips, or pork and apple sausages with mash. For those wanting something closer to restaurant-style food, try the tomato risotto or crispy skin salmon off the ‘a little more than pub grub’ menu.

The Condingup Tavern

Location: Esperance

Opening hours: Monday - Tuesday 8:00am - 3:00pm, Wednesday - Saturday 8:00am - 9:00pm, Sunday 8:00am - 8:00pm

It’s a fair drive between Esperance and the picturesque Wharton Beach. To break up the hour in the car, stop at the quaint Condingup Tavern. Part general store, part cafe, and part pub, this tiny country drop-in has been the local farmers’ meeting point for more than 30 years. Join locals and fellow visitors under the date palms in the beer garden for a morning serving of scones, or tuck into a lunch of Orleans Bay snapper topped with creamy garlic prawns.

The North West

Whalebone Brewing Company

Location: Exmouth

Opening hours: 12:00pm - 10:00pm, seven days

Enjoying cold drink big shed doesn’t sound very fancy, but this Exmouth-based brewery makes it an experience you can’t miss. Tucked away in the industrial area just outside town, Whalebone is the hub for good beer, great entertainment, and the town’s best pizza. The kitchen also serves up some Mexican treats, with quesadillas and tostadas joining the menu. Kids are welcome (there’s a sandpit and toys), as are dogs, so bring the whole crew for a laid-back evening soundtracked by live local tunes.

Divers Tavern

Location: Broome

Opening hours: Monday - Wednesday 11:00am - 11:00pm, Thursday - Sunday 11:00am - 12:00pm

Whether you’re in the mood for a casual, balmy afternoon bite or something a little more formal, you’ll find both at Broome’s Divers Tavern. At the southern end of the iconic Cable Beach, the tavern caters to a mix of crowds with its open-air ‘beach bar’, bistro, and busy sports bar. Drop in after a sunset camel ride for a portion of their famous Divers pork ribs or a hearty surf’n’turf, or head down on game day for the electric atmosphere.

Matso’s Broome Brewery

Location: Broome

Opening hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm, seven days

The Matso’s name is synonymous with Broome, and no visit to the North West town would be complete without a Sunday session at their HQ on Roebuck Bay. Every Sunday during the dry season (April - October), you can head out to the beer garden for free live music and bonus views of the mangroves across the road. Retreat to the fully air-conditioned bar and restaurants — where you can get your hands on a great selection of Asian-inspired dishes and pub favourites — if the humidity becomes a bit much.

The Exchange Hotel

Location: Kalgoorlie

Opening hours: 11:00am - 9:00pm, seven days

Kalgoorlie’s stately corner pub wears many hats: tavern, sports saloon, diner; you name it, The Exchange does it. If you’re after family-friendly, then the all-day eatery Paddy’s is your best bet. There’s a solid lineup of kids' meals and two pages of options for the adults, from tacos to lamb cutlets and plates of pasta. Next door at the saloon, you’ll get more of the traditional pub atmosphere, with pool tables, FOX Sports on the screens, and live music.

Freemasons Hotel

Location: Geraldton

Opening hours: 11:00am - 12:00am, seven days

Indecisive folk might run into a spot of bother at Geraldton’s favourite pub. Freemason’s extensive food menu runs to six pages, with just about every possible pub favourite on there. But, the seven different parmis and the prawn, scallop, fish, and squid-loaded ‘Abrolohos’ pizza are what really makes this menu stand out from others around town. Dine at the sidewalk alfresco or sit at one of the high tables by the bar and enjoy the live music while you eat.