Centennial HotelGulgong

On the corner of Mayne Street in the old goldrush town of Gulgong, the Centennial Hotel has kept its post since 1872 — a solid brick pub of the kind that anchored these Central West towns and, in Gulgong's case, still does. Locals call it the Cenny, and the pitch is unchanged by fashion: a hearty home-style feed and a cold beer in relaxed surrounds. Out the back sits a pet-friendly beer garden with pool tables; upstairs there are rooms for the night, and the calendar keeps a steady run of events. It reliably draws the verdict that it's the best in town — warm staff, good food, no fuss — which along a heritage streetscape full of nineteenth-century frontages is no small claim. Book a table, or just pull up at the bar.