Les We Forget

Nambucca Heads RSL

by Goose

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Over the long weekend and the week that followed, Goose took a trip outside of Sydney. I felt that I just had to get away from it all. North is the direction that I headed. I decided to spend some time in a small holiday town called Nambucca Heads, which is about seven hours away from Sydney, give or take. Again I will cover the key area’s that will be of use, should you wish to check out the Nambucca Heads Returned Servicemen's League.

Location

Price

Facilities

Staff

Ratio and Etiquette

Location:

As stated above, Nambucca Heads is situated north of Sydney, just shy of Coffs Harbor. The RSL is located, pretty much at the start of the town. The best direction I can give you, is to turn off the Freeway, follow the road around a couple of bends and bam, on the left you have the bowling club and on the right, the RSL. You literally cant miss it. If you need more information regarding the location or anything that follows, you will find the RSL's website very informative. http://www.nambuccarsl.com.au/

Price:

Well, being a small and mostly retiree town, the price is cheap. No entry fee (which if you have followed some of my other entries, is a big plus for me). Cheap drinks and a relatively cheap meal. The RSL has a very clean and reasonably good little Bistro, which seems to draw a decent crowed night after night, one can expect to pay Bistro prices for a meal, the prices range, but a large roast of the day wasn't more then $30. Drinks are extremely cheap. I wish these prices were in Sydney, how I would save. A vodka and coke was less then $5, amazing! 

                                                                                                               Facilities:

As per any RSL you go to, the facilities were pretty standard and not exciting. You have your Bistro, family area, outside smoking area’s, pokie spot, TAB and pool room. Nothing mind blowing or overly eventful. With that in mind, I can say that the entire club was spotless, even the mens room. This would be due to the RSL not having hundreds of patrons entering night after night, so expect a quiet relaxing night.

Staff:

Ok, so like many small towns, the staff aren't what a city slicker is use to. They aren't the most professional and in cases not the most friendly people to come across. However if you are laid back, their way of doing things isn't to bad, just go with it and try not to let it bother you. Remember you are in their territory not your own. It is a different way of life, that someday will catch up to the rest of us.

Ratio and Etiquette:

This is probably going to be the easiest and trickiest entry to do. Ratio is fairly 50-50, if you want to include old couples. You have a lot of families attending and then I guess the regulars. Don't go expecting to party or to pick up some hotties, simply isn't going to happen. Etiquette, easy, no one wants to talk to you or be your friend as you are not a local. Don’t be worried that something might happen, because chances are it won’t. The people are simple and don’t want to talk to outsiders, they didn’t try to intimidate me or make me feel unwelcome, they just didn’t want to socialize with me, which is fine as I didn’t want to socialize with them either. Dress standards, OK I am going to have a bit of a rant here, because I think a lot of us forget what the Returned Servicemen’s League’s are built for. They are there to honor the men and women who have died for Australia, the men and women who still serve this great country. With that in mind, show some respect when you dress to go there please, as I for one, find some of the things that people wear offensive and disrespectful for what they are there for, dress respectfully and act appropriately, please. Alright rant over. The dress code is pretty simple. No board shorts or singlets. A half decent pair of shorts and a decent non offensive shirt, you’re in. Thongs are accepted, as are sandals.

The Bottom Line:

Well as far as partying goes, steer clear. If you are in the area, after a relaxing quiet evening, by all means go and you will get exactly what you are after. The RSL is nice enough and cheap enough to spend a couple of hours to kill time. if I go back to Nambucca, I will go to the RSL again and once again enjoy my evening.

  The bottom line? I give the RSL a 3 out of 5 for obvious reasons. Nothing jumps out at me that makes this particular RSL a great place to spend a lot of time. The staff seem bored and unprofessional which didn’t help me to enjoy my night any more and there was seemingly no entertainment apart from gambling. Yes I will go back, but no I wont be going out of my way to go there.

Les We Forget!

The Argyle

“Where have you been tonight buddy?” by Goose

So for our latest adventure, Maverick and I decided to hit up Sydney’s The Argyle, a somewhat classier establishment located at The Rocks, in Sydney. I wouldn’t say that The Argyle was a traditional bar and certainly not a club, it is somewhat in between, which can make for a more relaxing night. Throughout my review of the joint, I will cover some key area’s which will be of use to anyone who wishes to have a look see.

The following areas that I will cover are:

· Location

· Price

· Facilities

· Staff

· Ratio and Etiquette

Location:

As mentioned earlier, The Argyle is located in Sydney’s Rocks area. Generally this is a nicer area to dine and put down a couple brews. I like to think of The Rocks as a yuppies area, and The Argyle is no different. The Argyle’s website (http://www.theargylerocks.com/) provides customers with the exact address, as well as a map of the area and location. In my opinion this is a great service, as not everyone knows where Argyle Street is. This makes The Argyle an easy venue to locate.

Price:

As mentioned earlier, The Rocks is a yuppie area, so expect to pay through your teeth for drinks and food. That being said, I was not upset by the price that they ask for food and drink. For starters there is no entry fee, which for this particular type of venue, there shouldn’t be, a massive plus. For a bowl of chips they are charging $9 for a Wagyu Beef Burger $18. Drinks however, are a different story. Clearly this is where The Argyle makes its money. The Argyle is a beer and wine joint. Pricing for beer and wine is standard to any other establishment around. However, spirits and cocktails, I find you will pay a little too much for. I was drinking Vodka and Coke all night, which was near $10 per drink. I expect to pay that much for a Vodka and Red Bull, not watered down tap Coke. As you can imagine, a standard cocktail was nearing the $20 mark. This is a little bit of a letdown in my eyes, as I don’t drink beer or wine. However the drinks are nice, if you can afford that type of price, then The Argyle is worth the money.

Facilities:

Ok, so here is what I really like about The Argyle, the facilities are some of the best that I have seen to date. Four bars, two bathrooms, a dance floor and plenty of seating. What more could you ask for? Cleanliness if you ask me. Well, the bars are to be expected, a little sticky in parts due to people spilling their drinks; however glasses are clean (thumbs up). The bathrooms are clean; I noticed throughout my time there, someone had a spew in one of the bathrooms. Before I had even left, the staff had cleaned it up. Also adding to the experience is that the tables and floor (even the dance floor) are clean. You don’t stick to them. Sticky floor and tables is something that I personally can’t stand, where The Argyle doesn’t have that problem, the staff clean up.

Staff:

As you can already guess, I am impressed by the staff that works at this joint. All accept a few. The bar staff are all friendly and quick to serve, as well as very professional. So I give them two thumbs up as they made the experience even more enjoyable. The only let down was the door man, who almost ruined the night for me. So Maverick and I arrive nearing 9 o’clock and for reasons known only to the doormen, he didn’t want to let me in. After having my ID checked not once but three times and asked “where were you before here?” Before being let in, makes me question the type of people they want in this joint, as I am not a very yuppie person, more typical Aussie, board shorts and a wife beater for me. Thankfully I got in, and was able to put that behind me.

Ratio and Etiquette:

Ok, so the ratio of guys to gals isn’t the best. I would say for every four guys, there are two girls. The dress standard was a bit of a mystery to me. For girls it seemed that prom style dress was the way to go (guys, this means the girls look great) for guys however, it seemed like you only needed to look clean and stylish. Maverick got was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and I was questioned in jeans and a button up shirt, go figure. My tips for the lads out there is to be stylish. Girls, as always it doesn’t really matter, I think you would be let in naked if you tried.

One thing I found very surprising was that the people seemed to be very polite and the girls approachable. I didn’t see any trouble the whole night, which is a change from the usual spot I go to week in and out. If you are after a friendly night out, I would recommend this joint to anyone. It seems the doorman is able to keep the Riff Raff out.

The Bottom Line:

If I had to give The Argyle a star rating, I would say 3 and a half stars out of five. The main reason for this is the price of drinks and the real lack of anything to do, except dance on a small floor and talk. That being said, I would recommend to anyone, that they give The Argyle at least two nights to see if they appreciate its charm. In the end, the night is what you make it; a good venue can only help. If people ask about my night, I simply say that I enjoyed my night, met lots of Americans and drunk my fair share of Vodka, danced like a tool and walked away with a big smile on my face. The night was eventful enough, without any real hiccup and I believe a good night all round.

Yes I will visit The Argyle again someday.