hotel bars worth staying in for

Leanne ClanceyBy Leanne Clancey
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While hotels are forever falling over themselves to impress with infinity pools, pillow menus, refurbs and celeb chef collabs, sometimes all you really want is a good bar where nobody knows your name.

I’m calling it: hotel bars have played second fiddle in this country for far too long. And for good reason. For my generation, the sheer mention of a hotel lobby bar still conjures up a shuddering image of fluffy cocktails, cheesy piano and sleazy businessmen. But thankfully – taking their cues from the glamour of hotel bars past – today’s riffs on the standard are becoming worthy destinations in themselves, providing a strong defence for keeping it in-house.

1. Rooftop at QT, Melbourne

Hotels drinks food wine bars
The not-so-Melbourne Melbourne bar.

In Melbourne, where if a bar isn’t hidden up a rickety staircase or located next to a stinky skip then it’s not worth knowing, even locals have warmed to the city’s most brazenly un-Melbourne bar, Rooftop at QT. The view alone is well worth the lift journey, and exposes a side to Melbourne that few other venues do. They shake a mean margarita too.

2. Jackalope at Willow Creek Vineyard, Mornington Peninsula

Hotels drinks food wine bars
Distilling the art of the perfect cocktail.

Further afield in the Mornington Peninsula, super-slick newcomer Jackalope at Willow Creek Vineyard is venturing beyond its vinous roots, offering an eccentric, distillation-themed cocktail lounge, Flaggerdoot to its luxurious offering. Championing classic aperitifs and whiskeys from around the world (and craft spirits from just down the road), it makes a fine spot for a sundowner.

3. Monster, Canberra

Hotels drinks food wine bars
Where pisco and politics collide.

At Canberra’s Monster , there’s no guarantee that you won’t bump into an off-duty pollie, but you can be sure of decent drink until well into the wee hours. Located in the lobby of Hotel Hotel, this all-day venue welcomes diners from 6.30am and cocktail fanciers at any hour of the day (within reason, of course). Try the ‘Division Bell’ with mezcal, Aperol, maraschino syrup and fresh lime.

4. The Clare, Sydney

Hotels drinks food wine bars
The dive bar revived.

As hotel bars go this rakish former pub is far from cookie-cutter. Adjoining the reception of The Old Clare Hotel in Sydney’s Chippendale, The Clare bar pays homage to its not-so-distant past as the grungy dive bar of choice for students from the nearby UTS. When the sun’s shining, you’d be mad not to head up for a leisurely spritz by the stunning rooftop pool and bar.

5. Storey Bar, Hobart

Hotels drinks food wine bars
A place where you can write your own travel story.

The newest jewel in Hobart’s increasingly blinged-up crown is MACq 01 hotel on Macquarie Wharf. With its plush seating, circular fireplace and killer views across the river and the city, the hotel’s moodily-lit Story Bar is a great excuse for bypassing the outside chill. The drinks list is studded with plenty of Tassie stars, and warming up with a dram of Lark single malt whiskey might just be the perfect way to get acquainted with the local culture.

6. Petition Wine Bar & Merchant, Perth

Hotels drinks food wine bars
A library where drinking is more than permitted.

Though not officially part of the hotel, Petition Wine Bar & Merchant is close enough to Perth’s COMO The Treasury to rate as a natural extension of it. Located in the revitalised State Buildings, this stylish wine bar/enoteca encourages leisurely browsing through its extensive wine ‘library’ which is filled to the ceiling with interesting local and international drops from small producers.

Leanne Clancey
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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael TurtleBy Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.