The Australasian Bar & Grill — 'the Aussie' to locals — is a historic Greymouth pub on High Street serving lunch, dinner and everything in between, seven days a week, with the kitchen open all day. The building itself is a piece of West Coast history: originally established by Robert Keown above the current camping ground, it was jacked up, placed on beer barrels and rolled to its present site after the railway and road left the old location without customers — a move that took a week. In 1906, Martha Keowan became the first woman in New Zealand to hold a Publicans Licence.
Today the Aussie pairs classic bar-and-grill cooking — Korean fried chicken, burgers, carbonara, lamb shank and more — with a warm, easy-going pub scene of sports on screen, gaming, a TAB, a pool table and darts. Dedicated gluten friendly, vegetarian/vegan and kids menus make it simple for the whole family to eat together, and there is a different special every day of the week.
Thursdays bring the Mega Meat Raffle and King of Dice, Fridays add Beers N Bullseye and a free kids meal with full-priced mains, and the function room caters for room hire, set menus, course meals, karaoke and band nights. Whether it's a family dinner, a casual night out or a quiet drink at the bar, the invitation is the same: come in, relax, and make yourself at home.
The Australasian Bar & Grill — 'the Aussie' to just about everyone in Greymouth — is a pub that wears its history lightly and its hospitality warmly. On High Street, seven days a week, the kitchen turns out generous bar-and-grill classics from lunch until late, while the bar hums with sport on the screens, a TAB, gaming, a pool table and a darts board. Whether you're there for a family dinner, a casual night out, or simply to unwind, the invitation is the same: come in, relax, and make yourself at home.
Few pubs can claim a founding story like this one. The Australasian Hotel was originally built above what is now the local camping ground, established by Robert Keown. But when the railway line and road went through, the old site lost its passing trade — so the building was jacked up, placed on beer barrels, and rolled to its current location. The whole operation took a week.
The pub also holds a genuine place in New Zealand history: in 1906, Martha Keowan became the first woman in the country to hold a Publicans Licence. It's a heritage the team here are clearly proud of, and one that makes a meal at the Aussie feel like a small act of participating in West Coast history.
The menu is proper bar-and-grill territory done well. The star is the Korean fried chicken — crispy and punchy enough that it appears twice on the menu, on its own and stacked into a Korean fried chicken burger. Around it you'll find spaghetti bolognese, chicken & bacon carbonara, beef short ribs for a starter, lamb shank, a layered pork tower, and a chicken and pumpkin salad for lighter appetites. Save room for the baked apple crumble cheesecake. Portions are pub-generous — the kind of plates that make sense after a day on the Coast.
Eating together is easy here. There's a dedicated gluten friendly menu and a vegetarian and vegan menu alongside the main board, plus a kids menu for smaller diners. And every day of the week carries its own special: burgers on Monday, discounted pints of house beer and glasses of house wine on Tuesday, house cocktails on Wednesday, chicken or beef parmigiana on Thursday, a free kids meal with every full-priced main on Friday, fish & chips on Saturday and lamb shank on Sunday.
Thursday night is a local institution in itself. The Mega Meat Raffle sees tickets selling from 5pm, with draws starting at 7pm and more than $1000 worth of meat packs and vouchers up for grabs. When the raffle wraps, King of Dice takes over: $4 to enter, roll the highest dice over best of three to advance, and the winner takes the prize pool — with the Australasian matching it with a voucher.
Fridays bring Beers N Bullseye — every purchase from 4:30pm earns a ticket, and three are drawn at 7pm for a shot at a prize. Beyond the scheduled fun there's karaoke, band nights and other events; the pub's advice is to check its Facebook page for what's coming up.
The function room makes the Aussie a genuine events venue: room hire, set menus, course meals, karaoke and band nights are all on the table, and the team invites you to call or email with whatever you need. That flexibility runs through the whole place — the kitchen stays open all day, so there's no wrong time to arrive hungry.
Hours are generous too: from 11am until 9:30pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Bookings can be made online or by phone. Just over a century after Martha Keowan made history, the Australasian keeps doing what it has always done best — feeding Greymouth well and making room for everyone at the bar.