Great little sandstone country pub with lots of tables outside under the trees to enjoy really good…read moresimple meals & the drink of your choosing. The menu is written on a chalk board & changes all the time but you can usually get most the pub food favourites and a bit more. 21kms from either ferry at Wisemans Ferry, driving from the main ferry is about half dirt/gravel but the road is flat & well maintained so makes a great scenic country drive or better still bring a bike & park at Wisemans & enjoy a leisurely pedal to really soak it all in. They have 4 comfortable but basic cabins if you want to get away to the country without travelling too far.

It's like someone took one of my favourite country pubs from England and plopped it down in the…read moreHawkesbury. Drive to Wisemans Ferry, take the ferry across the Hawkesbury, and drive north another 20 minutes. Just as the bitumen runs out you'll find the tiny village of St Albans. Cross over the one-lane wooden bridge and you'll nearly run right into the Settlers Arms. This is an old convict-built pub. It's a large stone building with little, dark, wooden rooms. They serve pie & mash and fish & chips and ploughman's lunches and other savoury treats. It's a simple, tasty feed. They have a the typical beers and wines and spirits available, but they also have their own hand-pumped ale. Proper, too, just below room temperature and tastes of twigs, like an ale should. I never drink anything else when I'm there. There's a dining room inside, but I imagine it only gets used in the winter. Because everyone sits, eats, and drinks outside. There are dozens of wooden tables and benches outside, under the eaves, under the spanning trees. Dogs meander, children run: it's a great community feel. Out back there's green lawn and more tables and, likely on weekends, someone sining or strumming a tune. If you in April, around Anzac Day, you might catch the St Albans Folk Festival. http://www.stalbansfolkfestival.com.au/ It's held on the grounds just down the lane from the pub, and while it's worth the few dollars entry you can usually catch most of the musicians drinking and eating and playing for free in the grounds of the pub. We'll often go up for lunch, just because it's a really nice drive. Go through Hornsby, and take the Galston gorge road for some hairpin descending turns (some with 5 km/h limits).

Great hotel, a lot of outdoor and indoor space, awesome atmosphere, nice food. On a Sunday…read morelunchtime only 40 people here. Parking was the biggest pain.

Lunchtime and mid week on a sunny day! Although, if you have the kids I am assured weekends are…read moreworthwhile as there is a playground with chooks and ducks. The outdoor dining area is fully covered and big with plenty of tables. Don't drop your keys or coins as it will go through the floor. The view is pretty good too. There were four of us and we all had something different. The quiche was "lovely"; the sauce on the hamburger was good; plenty in fisherman's basket but the pot pie was the pick. It is a bit of a drive from civilisation so make a day of it. Remember it is cash only and no cards.