Geelong was settled by Europeans in the 1830s and licensed pubs followed almost immediately — the colony needed drinking establishments almost as urgently as it needed housing. By the 1850s gold rush, Geelong was a booming port city and its pubs were serving diggers, merchants, and sailors at a rate that left a remarkable number of buildings still standing today.
This guide covers the six oldest verified pubs in Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula — all still operating, all worth visiting for their history as much as their beer. The oldest dates to 1849; the youngest in this list to 1879. That's over a century of continuous trading before Federation.
At a Glance
| Venue | Est. | Location | Why Visit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrel Hotel | 1849 | Geelong West | Geelong's oldest pub — still going strong on Pakington St |
| Sawyers Arms Tavern | 1850 | Newtown | "Clats" — open fireplaces, Chef's Hat dining upstairs |
| Queen of the West | 1856 | Geelong West | Heritage name restored 2023 — 700sqm beer garden |
| National Hotel | 1856 | Geelong CBD | 3-level heritage pub with rooftop and open fireplace |
| Barwon Club Hotel | 1859 | South Geelong | Geelong's live music institution since the 1850s |
| Esplanade Hotel | 1879 | Queenscliff | Bellarine heartbeat — balcony bar, heritage township |
Pakington Street: Geelong's Heritage Pub Strip
Pakington Street in Geelong West contains two of Geelong's three oldest pubs within 500 metres of each other. The Petrel Hotel (1849) and Queen of the West (1856) both started trading when Geelong was still a raw colonial port city. That either pub survived the 170 years since — through gold rush booms, world wars, recessions and changing tastes — is remarkable. Today Pakington Street is one of the best pub strips in regional Victoria, and the heritage buildings are a big part of why it feels like it does.
Petrel Hotel
The Petrel Hotel is Geelong's oldest pub — it was trading on Pakington Street before the gold rush, before the railway, before most of what we now recognise as Geelong even existed. The building has been through several incarnations, but the site has been a licensed premises since 1849, making it older than the state of Victoria itself (which was proclaimed in 1851).
A recent revitalisation modernised the kitchen and interior without stripping the historic character — it still feels like a proper Geelong pub, with a welcoming beer garden, a bistro dining room with an open fireplace, and TAB facilities. Rated 4.4 stars from 311 reviews. Open Mon–Fri from noon, Tue–Thu from 4pm. More Geelong West pubs →
Queen of the West
The Queen of the West has one of Geelong's most interesting pub histories. Established in 1856 as the Queen of the South, it was renamed as the town boundaries shifted, then traded for decades as The Barking Dog before the current owners restored the original heritage name in August 2023. The name change is a small piece of local history — and the kind of detail that makes Geelong's pub scene more interesting than most.
The renovation added a 700-square-metre all-weather beer garden with a wood-fired pizza oven and 12 taps. Live music runs regularly on weekends. Rated 4.2 stars from 863 reviews — one of the most-reviewed pubs on Pakington Street. Open Fri–Sat from noon until midnight. Best beer gardens in Geelong →
Newtown: Sawyers Arms Tavern (Est. 1850)
One block from Pakington Street, Sawyers Arms Tavern in Newtown is the only serious challenger to the Petrel for the title of Geelong's oldest operating pub. Trading since 1850, it's been a Newtown fixture for so long that locals simply call it "Clats" — a nickname so embedded that newer residents often don't know the venue's real name.
Sawyers Arms Tavern ("Clats")
Two warm dining rooms with open fireplaces and a welcoming front bar make Sawyers Arms the kind of heritage pub that functions equally as a locals' drinking spot and a destination venue. But what makes it genuinely remarkable is what's happened upstairs: Two Noble is a Chef's Hat–awarded Asian fine dining restaurant, and next door Eileen's is widely regarded as one of Geelong's best steak restaurants.
That combination — a 175-year-old pub building hosting some of the region's most celebrated food — is unusual anywhere in Australia. Rated 4.6 stars from 570 reviews. Open 7 days from noon. The building and the surrounding outdoor areas have been well maintained without losing the pub's lived-in character. More Newtown pubs →
Geelong CBD: National Hotel (Est. 1856)
The CBD's heritage pub anchor stands on Moorabool Street — the same street that runs directly to GMHBA Stadium. The National Hotel has been operating on this site since 1856, which makes it the oldest continually licensed hotel in Geelong's city centre.
National Hotel
The National is striking from the outside — a confident Victorian-era facade on a CBD corner — and the interior delivers what you'd hope: exposed brick walls, an open fireplace on the mid-level, and a rooftop terrace with retractable roof and Geelong skyline views. Three levels of drinking and dining space means it absorbs a crowd without losing atmosphere.
Live music and DJ nights run Friday and Saturday from 9pm — making the National the most likely place in Geelong to drink heritage beer taps next to a touring band. Modern Australian menu spans parmis, steaks and a serious cocktail list. Closed Mondays. Best live music pubs in Geelong →
South Geelong: Barwon Club Hotel (Est. 1859)
South Geelong's heritage pub sits on Moorabool Street, the spine of the suburb. The Barwon Club Hotel has been the heartbeat of the live music scene in Geelong since its doors opened in 1859 — an unbroken run of over 165 years as an entertainment venue.
Barwon Club Hotel
The Barwon Club is Geelong's most complete pub — live music venue, TAB, sports screens, beer garden and bistro all under one roof. The Bandroom hosts touring bands and local acts across Friday and Saturday nights; The Barn is the more relaxed sports-watching space during the week. Monday Parmi Night at $22 has been a local institution for years.
The Barwon Club's location on Moorabool Street puts it on the direct walk from the CBD to GMHBA Stadium — making it a natural stop on game days, 500 metres from the gates. Rated 4.4 stars from 591 reviews. Open from 11:30am Tuesday through Sunday, from 3pm Monday. Best sports bars for game day →
The Bellarine: Esplanade Hotel Queenscliff (Est. 1879)
The Bellarine Peninsula has its own heritage pub tradition — and the Esplanade Hotel in Queenscliff is its centrepiece. A 35-minute drive from Geelong, Queenscliff is a heritage township where much of the Victorian-era streetscape is intact. The Esplanade Hotel has been the local gathering spot since 1879.
The Esplanade Hotel Queenscliff
Gellibrand Street location puts the Esplanade at the centre of one of Victoria's best-preserved heritage townships. Harry's on the Balcony cocktail bar sits on the upper level, looking out over the street below — the kind of spot that earns its place in a history guide purely by existing. Bistro, sports bar, beer garden and balcony bar all run 7 days.
The Esplanade is a natural endpoint for a day on the Bellarine — catch the ferry from Sorrento (or drive the Peninsula Highway from Geelong), explore the Queenscliff fort, and finish at the pub that's been welcoming people to this township for 147 years. Rated 4.2 stars from 1,057 reviews. More Queenscliff pubs →
Geelong Heritage Pub Trail: Two Routes
You can't visit all six pubs in one day — Queenscliff is a separate trip — but the Geelong pubs cluster into two natural routes.
Start at Petrel Hotel (81 Pakington St) for a beer and a look at the 1849 building. Walk 500m south to Queen of the West (126 Pakington St) for a second drink — the beer garden here is hard to leave. Cross to Newtown and stop at Sawyers Arms (2 Noble St) for lunch or a late afternoon drink by the fireplace. Three pubs, three eras (1849, 1850, 1856), walkable in under 15 minutes between stops.
Start at National Hotel (191 Moorabool St, CBD) for a late afternoon drink on the rooftop terrace — open Tuesday through Saturday. Walk south down Moorabool Street to Barwon Club (509 Moorabool St, South Geelong) for live music on a Friday or Saturday night. Two pubs established six years apart (1856 and 1859), a 20-minute walk, a complete evening.
Drive the Bellarine Highway from Geelong (35 minutes). Explore the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre, the historic fort and the main heritage streetscape — then finish at the Esplanade Hotel (2 Gellibrand St) for a drink on Harry's balcony. If you want more Bellarine Peninsula time, the Vue Grand Hotel next door (1881) adds another heritage stop. Full Geelong pub crawl guide →
Tips for Heritage Pub Visits
- Weekday afternoons are best for heritage atmosphere — before the Friday and Saturday evening crowds arrive, these pubs have a quieter character that lets you appreciate the buildings. Sawyers Arms and Petrel Hotel are especially good mid-week.
- Winter is heritage pub season — the open fireplaces at Petrel Hotel, Sawyers Arms and National Hotel are the reason these pubs built them in the 1850s. Geelong winters are cold; a fireplace pub makes sense in a way that a summer beer garden doesn't.
- The buildings are the attraction — look at the ceilings, the cornices, the original bar fittings where they still exist. Sawyers Arms and Petrel Hotel have both retained significant original fabric despite renovations.
- Queenscliff is a day trip, not a pub crawl stop — the Esplanade Hotel is worth the drive, but plan the day around the township, not just the pub. The Fort Queenscliff Museum and the main street are worth a couple of hours.
- These pubs are still local pubs first — they're heritage venues, but the regulars are Geelong locals who've been coming for years. Don't treat them as tourist attractions; they're working pubs with community functions and weekly specials.