Let's take Manly as an example. Infamous on the northern beaches for it's rowdy drunken nightlife Manly has decided to close it's doors at 2.30am. The reason were the drunks on the weekends, keeping residents awake and committing drunken crimes and behavior.
Let us look into this problem and address some facts:
Manly Pub Problem:
- Enormous amounts of drunks causing trouble in the corso and surrounding area on the weekends. Duration: Midnight - 5am.
Current Solution:
- Close all pubs at 2.30am
Real problem:
- Super pubs, containing thousands of drunks in one building.
Possible solution?
- Reduce these enormous pubs and dot smaller pubs up and down the northern beaches peninsula.
Lets take a couple of pubs on the northern beaches, to name a few:
The Steyne, Collaroy Surf Rock, The Mona Vale Hotel. All of these pubs cram people in. Hundreds of people in one building getting leathered. Admittedly Manly is in a location, which will attract city folk and northern beaches folk; a meeting point for people. Plus the opening hours have been later than others, thus we see a mass migration to Manly from up the peninsula on the weekends. So perhaps reducing opening hours is a good thing for Manly?
How many people who regularly go to The Steyne in Manly on a Saturday night actually know any of the bar staff? How about the robots on the door checking ID and even if you are 32; if you do not have ID you are not getting in. How nice and personal is that! ?
The Steyne Hotel, Manly
Does the northern beaches lack community spirit? Would a few nice small, "local" pubs dotted around the peninsula help to improve the community spirit?
Look at Paddington and Edgecliff, as an example in the eastern suburbs. Nice little pubs sprinkled around. If you went there for a third time the bar staff would probably recognise you and you might say "hi" and know their names. The security, (if any), would know you and you would not have to produce ID and be greeted by a robot on repeat visits to the venue; They would know you!
Are the pubs on the Northern beaches simply too big? Should we have big super pubs packed with pokies engulfing our society? They are mini casino's! This needs to be sorted out!! There needs to be some decent pubs on Sydney's northern beaches! Improved community spirit is a mixture of many small things. A nice little pub will serve it's locals well, create a desirable area to live in. Some of the pubs out there at the moment are several pubs in one!
The police say that The Steyne has the most glassings in NSW. That is terrible, it truly is! The Steyne is however 7 pubs in one. There are four separate bars just on the ground floor alone! Per Capita is it the worst pub in NSW for glassings or violence?? (Meaning per punters...) 3500 drunks in one building will cause problems, regardless of closing times. When people are congested, especially after alcohol, there will be trouble(.) This is an important area that has to be considered.
That is the problem, not necessarily the closing times. Although as stated before, this might help stem the migration to manly on a Saturday night? The answer could be reduce the amount of "super pubs" and increase the amount of smaller, friendly, local pubs that service the community better.
Are there any small local watering holes like this on Sydney's Northern Beaches?
Your Local Pub?
Manly Council, Warringah Council and Pittwater Council, please take note here: Wake up! The Police: Wake up! The mayor: Wake up! The local MP! wake up!!!!!!!!!
How about granting some licenses for some nice small pubs on the northern beaches? Check out the Lord Dudley in Paddington as an example. A lovely pub with a front bar and lounge bar at the back. Downstairs is a wonderful restaurant, so the owner will make money and the local residents are served with a lovely little pub.
The public bar at The Lord Dudley Woollahra, Sydney
Picture suburbs around Manly; Fairlight, Balgowlah, Queenscliff, with a lovely little pub. This would not be a bad thing would it? Lets reduce the size of these bigger pubs and maintain the need with smaller, local pubs. The Harbord Hilton is a pleasant little pub. More pubs like these please on the northern beaches!
