Co-owner Nathan Muller and business partner Noel have run the Edinburgh Castle for 20 years.
Before the Edinburgh Castle, Muller’s pub journey began in Richmond in the late 90s, then Fitzroy in the early 2000s, both built around bringing communities together.
Sydney Road felt like another planet by comparison. Muller recalls one Fitzroy mate saying he’d make the trip if there was a courtesy bus.
It was a long way from the cool kids of the Roy, but Muller figured the pub had room for everyone, and that the best communities have everyone in them.
The Edi Castle’s 20th birthday party on 14 November is a full day of live music, with bands playing back to back from 12pm to 10pm.
There are 10 acts on the bill, and DJs Chipz and Marni La Rocca will keep the tunes going until late. There will also be giveaways and drink specials, and punters can share their memories of the Eddie by uploading photos via a QR code.
Edinburgh Castle’s 20th
- When: 14 November
- Bands 12 – 10pm
- DJs ’til late
The lineup
- Georgia Fields
- Tim Scanlan & Mana Okubo
- Psi Phi
- Georgia Rodgers
- The Undead Reckoners
- Nir Tsfaty
- Dan Dinnen & Shorty
- Rosario De Marco
- Hugh McGinlay
- Checkerboard Lounge
- DJ Chipz
- DJ Marni La Rocca
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The taps went from “Country and Western on tap” (Carlton and VB) to independents like Mountain Goat and 4 Pines, which were only just starting out before bigger players snapped them up. The menu got more than one vegetarian dish, too.
The thing that really got people through the door was the $9.99 roo and wine night: a peppered roo steak, not overcooked, with hearty mash and veg.
It put the gold rush pub at the crossroads to Bendigo and Sydney on the map, became a staple, and is still going, though the price has crept up. Muller notes the roos don’t hop any less when diesel costs more.
More food specials followed, and so did local bands, with gigs now running four days a week. Over time the crowd changed. Muller says there were eventually more people coming to enjoy the place with friends and family than people who’d just got out of jail and wanted revenge on whoever snitched on them.
The early days, he admits, were a little rough.
Trivia host Mrs Smith was running quiz nights at the Edi when plenty of other pubs hadn’t thought of them yet. Muller also credits the local music community for backing the pub as much as the pub backs them.
These days, Muller knows some people walk in and see a tired pub that could use a makeover.
He reckons plenty see something else: the place where they caught up with mates, met future partners, shared a good meal and danced to a live band. The pub pours a range of independent drinks, and the crew aim to make everyone feel included, whatever their background or challenges.
Muller says community doesn’t need much more than a safe space and people who appreciate it. From what previous publicans have told him, the Edinburgh Castle has always been a place for all communities.
“I tell ya, 20 years has really flown by now that I look back,” Muller says. A
side from the constant fixing, problem solving and assorted dramas, he and Noel are grateful to have been part of a community that has grown through some of the most difficult years in a century.
The birthday party is on 14 November, and everyone’s invited. Expect bands that have played the stage over the years, prizes for the big and little kids, and “the best vibes we can conjure up”.
Live, long and local.
Visit the Edinburgh Castle at 681 Sydney Rd, Brunswick.
For more information, head here.
