As always moving to a new city there are plenty of changes to get used to with East coast vs West coast living. And whilst most of the changes haven’t been too major- a couple of which I’ll address in the coming weeks, the first one that springs to mind, especially given last weekends spectacular weather is the humble Sunday Session.
The culture of Sunday Sessions in Canberra doesn’t seem to overly exist to my knowledge. Only too often in Perth would the weekly discussion revolve around where we were heading off to for a few bevvies on Sunday afternoon. There would be at least 6 or 7 pubs in Perth that boast a fairly well known busy Sunday sesh. These being from right on the beach to the inner suburbs aswell. However Canberra, with the exception of the newly opened Hopscotch and I have been told the ‘Lighty’ in Belconnen, it doesn’t really seem to be the done thing over here. And it’s not about getting written off before work the next day, it’s about soaking up as much of the weekend that there is to offer and also bathe in the sun as many of us do. Though I’m sure there’s plenty that go for the former too.
So my question is where do all the sun seeking, thirsty, fake tanned, lounge music lovers go on Sundays? Some of the best days in summer are spent fighting over a space in a beer garden! Does this culture not really exist because we don’t have that coastal feel for it and so many already head off to the coast, because the Uni crowd is all out on a Thursday night, or the offer just isn’t really there? What makes for a good Sunday Session?
I recently ventured out to Chisholm and tried out Rose Cottage which has a pretty good offering for Sundays, crazy cheap drinks, live music and plenty of space for families and a young crowd alike. It’s a perfect venue for a Sunday session, an older style pub with plenty of character and some cheap meals to assist in compensating for a couple of beverages. I highly recommend a visit if you haven’t been!
They even can offer a courtesy bus back into town if you have 6 friends that don’t feel like being the designated driver.
It got me to thinking that maybe that’s part of it – the space. When I think to Sunday sessions in Perth, they are usually in huge pubs that can hold a massive amount of people. Places like Matisse Beach Club, the Queens, the Left Bank and the Saint. (just in case anyone’s planning a trip to Perth anytime over the summer and needs a hot tip!) But in a city that isn’t say your more traditional pub type orientation it’s not like we aren’t short of a good bar or two.
I think- and hope- that this summer could possibly be the revival of a Sunday Session culture in Canberra and my prediction that Hopscotch will lead the way with this and is definitely going to be the one to watch – and I’ve got my fake tan and Havaianas out waiting in anticipation!