A pub that’s been standing since 1926 has definitely seen a thing or two.
Hotel Gosford has been through the roaring twenties (the original ones), a World War, the 70s – which by all accounts, were loud – and more Friday knock-offs than anyone could count.
This year, Hotel Gosford turns 100. And they’re inviting locals to help ring it in with the party of the century!
100 years of Hotel Gosford
Hotel Gosford opened in 1926, back when Gosford was a very different town and a cold beer at the pub was about as central to community life as it gets.
Over the decades it’s been a meeting place for shift workers, returned servicemen, first dates and long lunches. The fashion changed, the music got louder (then quieter, then louder again) – but this beloved pub stayed put.
It’s a place that shows up often in people’s memories. A milestone birthday in the bistro. A wake that turned into a proper send-off. A cheeky game of two-up in the beer garden on ANZAC Day. Hotel Gosford is fundamental to the Central Coast, in the background of countless Coastie moments.
The exterior of Hotel Gosford in 1937 (supplied) and 1950 (Douglass Baglin)
The Harris Family + Hotel Gosford
In 1998, the Harris family got a phone call they weren’t expecting. They were in the middle of selling a property up in the Hunter Valley and weren’t actively looking for their next move. But one visit to Hotel Gosford was enough. They saw the history, the bones of the place, and what it meant to the Central Coast – and they said yes.
What followed was more than two decades of hands-on ownership, three major renovations, and a genuine commitment to keeping it a local pub rather than just another venue. The most recent overhaul, completed in 2022, drew on the hotel’s heritage and the glamour of the era it was born in – dark timbers, brass fittings, ambient lighting, a nod to the twenties without being a costume party about it.
Today the next generation leads the business, with the Harris family still closely involved, and it’s been recognised by the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) as a Central Coast icon, which feels right.
#GossyGoodTimes – Gosford’s Saturday night institution
Hotel Gosford is no stranger to a good party – in fact, they throw one every weekend! If you’ve ever wandered down Baker Street and clocked the words Gossy Good Times sprayed on the back of the old Brisbane Water County Council building, you’ve seen the origin story. We’re not talking elaborate street art here – it’s just a few words on a wall that somehow lodged themselves in the Central Coast vernacular. Hotel Gosford embraced it, named their Saturday night takeover after it, and now #GGT is an institution in its own right.
One of the best pub menus on the Central Coast
At the heart of it all is Earl’s Kitchen, and if you haven’t eaten there lately, that’s something to fix. The menu is fresh, full of flavour and genuinely one of the better pub menus on the Coast.
And in winter, the fireplace is so cosy you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
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Hotel Gosford’s 100th Birthday Party
Friday 26 June
Doors open 6.30 pm
Tickets on sale now
Raise a glass and celebrate 100 years of Hotel Gosford at the party of the century! The theme is A Walk Down Memory Lane, celebrating the good ol’ days to now. Because in 100 years, there’s one thing that hasn’t changed – locals gathering together for a good time.
It kicks off with a sparkling drink on arrival, then the Time Machine takes over. There’s a two-course throwback menu, vintage photobooths, polaroids, classic pub games and a live band playing hits from across the decades.
We have no doubt that the night will start with good intentions… and end with everyone still there at last drinks.
Be part of the Hotel Gosford centenary
Beyond the birthday party, the team has put together a rotating Legacy Menu – dishes inspired by conversations with long-time locals, grandparents and staff, asking them: What dishes take you straight back? What felt special? What felt like home?
There’s also an open invitation to share your own Hotel Gosford memory – that moment you’ll never forget, or a treasured photo perhaps. Selected stories will be featured in-venue throughout the celebrations.
A pub turning 100 is not a small thing – so go on, be part of it.
Hotel Gosford
179 Mann Street, Gosford
(02) 4324 1634
Tickets to Hotel Gosford’s 100th Birthday Party are available now at hotelgosford.com.au
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