This place is definitely one of those old school country pubs, and the atmosphere is actually…read morepretty cool. Sometimes country pubs can be a little intimidating, but I certainly didn't find it the case with this place. In fact, I found the atmosphere to be quite welcoming and rather friendly. The staff were pretty cool, and while it wasn't a big pub, and it is also rather out of the way, I did find it quite relaxing.

When it comes to country pubs I tend not to expect too much, except for what I would expect from a…read morecountry pub (and I've been to a few now). Well, this is certainly your typical country pub, and it really has a charm about it that I really liked. Okay, it certainly wasn't one of the best pubs that I have been to but it was certainly lively, and I didn't feel too out of place either. Yeah, I liked it.

In a way, there was really nothing all that exciting with regards to this pub. It wasn't so much a…read morebad pub, but it just really wasn't anything all that great. In fact, it was the last pub that I visited as I made my way around the town of Grafton, before heading off to catch the train. I guess you could consider it to be one of those rather basic pubs, the types that you tend to find in towns like this. It wasn't bad, but it really wasn't all that great either.

This was another one of those rather quiet pubs that I ended up visiting while spending the night…read morewandering around Grafton. Well, that wasn't going to be the theme for the rest of the night though because it turned out that this was somewhat of an exception when it came to pubs in this part of town, particularly on a Friday night. Still, this one was nice and the staff were rather friendly as well.

This hotel was recommended to us for a pub feed and it didn't disappoint. There was a great…read moreatmosphere and live music. The place was packed but there was still plenty of room and great food. Definitely recommend it.

What an excellent view whilst having lunch. We did pop in yesterday to make a booking so that we…read moregot a window table today. Two of us went for the light lunch with calamari.....very nice and a good size. Our other diners went for the blue eyed cod and fish & chips. They were suitably fed too. We drank the local beers and they were good. The service was attentive too. Parking can be a problem so go for an early time.

Is there anything better than a pub sitting on a cliff overlooking the beach? Probably, but a lazy…read moreSunday afternoon sipping bubbles whilst you watch the waves crash against the shore is pretty darn good. The Pacific Hotel which sits just above Main Beach in Yamba is one of those country town gems that has the best local feel. There's a bar in the front and a bistro in the back with a main stage in the corner where bands from all around the Northern Rivers come on various days, check their website if coming to see some live music is your thing. Or if you're like me and just want to have a relaxing lunch overlooking the ocean grab a seat in the bistro. All the tables are by the giant glass windows which overlook the cliffs and beach. There's a great bistro menu with classic pub fare as well as fresh seafood from the area (oysters from Wooli and fish from Yamba). The food is great. I had the salt and pepper squid which was tender and fresh, Dad has a steak sandwich which was cooked perfectly on turkish bread (a nice light alternative if you want my opinion) and Mum had pork skewers (an entree but came out the size of a main). Topping off the food I had sticky date pudding for dessert which was the only thing that was a slightly let down. Great flavour but a little dry, thankfully there was plenty of butterscotch sauce and ice cream to remedy that. The fact that the food and service are great is just the tip of the iceberg with this pub. You really want to just come for the view. Any day it's going to be great, rain or sunshine.

4 stars for the local country pub charm…read more If you're looking for that real country pub experience then look no further than the Harwood Hotel. Situated just under the Harwood Bridge and nestled against the sweeping banks of the Clarence River this local pub in a town of about 400 people is friendly and welcoming in a way that you would only find in country Australia. Whilst it doesn't look like much they have a wonderful pub menu which includes fresh local seafood, steaks and burgers. Their dinner menu is more extensive than their lunch menu but they are only open for dinner from Wednesday - Sunday. The front porch has wonderful views of the river and the bridge which is perfect for a sunny summer's day. The quality of the food is quite good as well, I had salt and pepper squid which was not only fresh (locally caught) but only lightly battered which makes a change from the thick batter that you usually get at pubs. The chips that came with the meal were perfectly cooked, thick cut and crispy. A fun feature of the pub is the pontoon just outside on the river for boat parking, so if you're a local or staying in one of the surrounding towns such as Yamba or Maclean you can take a half hour cruise up the river and park just outside the pub. Perfect for a summer's day!

We were asked for proof of vaccination even though there is currently no requirements in place by…read moreNSW Health saying that people HAVE to be vaccinated. So my beef is that if you want to impose your own requirements for entry then at least put that on your Facebook page and website. Be upfront. Our group has vaccinated and unvaccinated people and we would not have wasted our time, money and energy going to a place that doesn't allow everyone entry. At least have the balls to put it on your website and fb page. Go to Sanctus Brewing Co they welcome everyone and have great service.

This is another one of those happy accidents that happened to me. Basically I was wandering back…read moreinto the centre of Grafton and I happened to be on this road that had a pub that I basically new nothing about. A part of me thought that it may have been closed, but that turned out not the be the case, so I wandered inside. The first thing that struck me was how cool the bartender was, and the second was that they had a pretty awesome, and quite large, beer garden out the back with some really nice and comfortable couches. Actually, the pub itself had some really nice quite places for me to sit, so I'd have to say that I did quite like it.

This is a great Pub with friendly patrons and a variety of good cold beers. $10 lunch time special…read moremeals available for the budget conscious traveler or locals. Great beer garden and friendly Publicans. Accommodation available for travellers.