By Mark Macdonald
More than a pub, the Anglers Tavern is a local social icon with a liquid history dating back to the 1860s. Originally known by many names, Anglers Arms, Anglers Rest and Anglers Hotel, it has weathered floods and reinvented itself through the years.
Imagine the scene – fishermen in flat caps casting lines next to the Anglers Arms Hotel, a modest building facing the Maribyrnong River. Back then, the hotel thrived alongside the river’s bounty, not just offering boating facilities for anglers, but also profiting from a boom in recreational river tours. Passengers would depart and return from jetties next to the Hotel, embarking on leisurely journeys to the revered Riverview Tea Gardens further upstream. One can’t help but wonder if, after a tea-filled afternoon, perhaps a heartier beverage was in order.
Today, the Anglers Tavern still stands proud, a testament to its enduring spirit. Though recently ravaged by another flood in 2022, the tavern is nearing the grand finale of its renovation, promising a fresh interior to welcome patrons back. While tea garden tours are a memory, the Anglers Tavern continues to offer a place to gather and relax by the Maribyrnong riverside.
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