I've often wondered about the Gladstone Hotel, it seems to always be open, but never that full. I've wandered in through curiosity a few times to have a quiet beer and watch some sport. Sometimes with a friend, who was equally curious about the pub we knew little about.
The place is relatively full tonight as I enter, the Wests Tigers playing on the television. A crowd of people have pulled chairs over to a corner to watch the sporting contest.
It's a very casual affair, everyone wears jeans and t-shirts and it's a relaxed environment. No ego's here. One person wears a three piece suit and a Fedora hat, his suit looks tailored and his shoes freshly shone. But he strikes me more as a fashionable eccentric with impeccable taste than an ego.
Food is being ordered and eaten and beer being poured by the young bartenders, people walk in and are cheered by members of the crowd who are obviously friends and happy to see each other, it's nice when people are happy to see each other.
I sit at my table, one eye on the game, the other on the people, a diverse range of ages, from, just got my 18+ card to just got my seniors card. And I realise what it is that keeps the Gladstone Park Hotel afloat, it's how casual it is, it doesn't try to be anything it isn't.
It's a relaxed casual place for people to meet for a cheeky beer, eat a cheeky bowl of wedges and watch some cheeky sport. read more