Okay, this wasn't one of the best pubs that I have been to in Ararat, but it still had some country…read morecharm about it. Actually, I probably shouldn't say that because it really came across as being rather basic, at least on the outside. Still, it wasn't what I would call a bad pub, just a rather standard one. The service was okay, though as can be expected, they didn't have a huge selection of beer available.

Not quite a gastro pub but the food was hot hearty and enjoyable. I had the fish and chips with…read moresalad and a couple of cold beers. Great place to stop for a traditional pub meal.

This turned out to be a rather nice pub, though it would not necessarily be one of those pubs that…read morehappens to end up at the top of my must-visit again list. Mind you, that is exactly what I ended up doing, namely because that not only did they have prettty awesome service, but that there was quite a large beer garden out the back, and a pretty good one at that. Okay, while it does happen to be an old man's pub, and the beer selection is rather limited, there were elements of it that made this place pretty good.

This pub was actually pretty awesome, but then again since it is across the road from the Stawell…read moreOval, which holds the annual Stawell Gift, a famous foot race, I'm actually not all that surprised. Okay, the beer selection isn't all that great, but I was here during the low season. The staff are quite friendly, and they also have an awesome beer garden out the back. This is definitely the pub to have a beer at if you happen to be in Stawell.

Obviously a hit with locals, all of whom knew each other and mingled freely, but design and decor…read morewise it neither has a modern cool vibe nor have that country pub charm, leaving it somewhere fairly ho-hum in-between. Bar staff were very friendly, and your best bet is to enjoy some sun in the astro-turf work-in-progress beer garden out the back - just try to ignore the barbed wire fence all around making you feel less of a punter and more of an inmate. Otherwise fine, just not very memorable.

I can't really say that this was one of my favourite pubs, and the service, yeah, it certainly…read morewasn't the best, though it wasn't necessarily all that bad. Basically, this is just another country pub - you do tend to find them all over the country, which honestly, isn't all that surprising. Yet, as I said, it wasn't too bad, it has a reasonably nice atmosphere, even if the beer selection wasn't all that great. Then again, I generally don't expect country pubs to have a great beer selection. The other thing is that it is quieter than the other pub in town, so I guess there is that.

Oh country pubs. Duke box yielding, pool table flinging fun times for young and old alike. How I do…read morelove sneaking my Melbourne city girl self into country pubs. A few rules to remember when visiting a country pub. The kitchen closes at 8. This means that your order must be in and under way before 8PM. What the kitchen really means is that they want to be walking out at 8:01PM. Don't try to order a 8 meals at 7.55. This angers the kitchen staff and they won't hesitate to bitch about this fact as they walk past your table at 8.10. Try not to look surprised when you realised that in under 15mins they cooked 4 parmas, a steak sandwich and two 'sea food' baskets. All with chips and salad. AND cleaned up and left the kitchen. Understandably on a Saturday night they have party plans too. Other rules to remember- Don't confuse the bar staff with multiple drink orders and payment methods. It's much easier to just grab a jug off tap and pay with one method. Don't merge tables, unless you are willing to put them back in their correct place. The joy of country pubs far outweighs the funny quirks. The meals are reasonably priced and generally of good quality. The decor, once you pass by the 70s, is warm, welcoming and full of local history.

This was quite a surprise, namely a pub in St Arnaud that has craft beer available. Honestly, this…read morewas definitely something that I wasn't expecting. In fact, unlike a lot of pubs that I have been to out in the country, this one certainly didn't feel anything like those old mans pubs that you tend to find. In fact it had quite a nice vibe about it. In fact, it even had a pretty awesome beer garden out the back, one that had definitely been made to feel like a decent beer garden as opposed to a lot of the pubs where it is basically just a few tables tossed out in the back yard. Oh, and the service was pretty awesome as well. Yeah, I really liked this pub.

This is one of those pubs that happens to be located out in one of Victoria's wine growing regions,…read moreso it does have a bit of a touristy feel about it. What as a shame was that when we came here their cook wasn't available, but that isn't really their fault, especially since this is a rather small country town. Yeah, this place was actually really quite charming, and sort of reminded me more of those pubs in the leafier parts of the city as opposed to out in the country. They did have some nice beers, and the service was pretty good as well.

This place really wasn't all that spectacular. Basically it is one of those places that obviously…read moreat one stage was a pub, but really isn't that way any more. It isn't as if it couldn't be a pub, namely because I could see plenty of unused rooms, one of which could at least serve as a front bar. But alas, that is not the case. Anyway, they did sell be a beer, but then rather gruffly told me to go and sit on the couch, of which there weren't all that many. Oh, and as for the beer, yeah, the selection was quite limited, particularly for a place that is trying be to somewhat fancier than normal.

Excellent service and a great atmosphere. Good sized meals, and very tasty. The coffee is…read moreexcellent, with non-dairy options available.

I'd probably consider this place to be one of those old school country pubs. It certainly does have…read moresome charm about it, and there was a pretty decent sized beer garden, though of course I do wander at times whether anybody actually uses it (I have never seen a beer garden being used in a country pub). The service wasn't the best, and the tap beer selection was also rather limited, but that did have a friendly dog, so I'll give it credit for that.