Royal Hotel Drouin

After visiting the slightly disappointing Ferntree Gully the previous day, we set out into Gippsland for the next Royal on this leg: the Royal Hotel Drouin.

Drouin is a bit bigger of a town than I was expecting. But it had a very good vibe with big leafy streets and what looked like a fairly bustling town centre. We arrived at the Royal Hotel Drouin right on opening time at 10am and headed inside. The bartender looked surprised to see us. We asked if they were open and she said ‘yes, we’re open but usually people don’t come in this early’. We get that a lot.

Unfortunately for her, three randoms waiting for her to unlock the door was the least of her concerns. Apparently, not long after we arrived, the dishwasher started spewing out water onto the floor. So while she was mopping constantly and on the phone to the owner, we settled in with our beers to enjoy some free pool and have a look around the place.

The pub itself was pretty cool. The aforementioned free pool was played on a pool table with bespoke Royal branding on the felt. And we do love some bespoke branding.

Looking around further, the Royal Hotel Drouin had a fair bit going for it. There was a pretty extensive cocktail list (although at 10am that was a step too far, even for us).

There was a lot of cool exposed brick and wood. The decor was cool as well, including more bespoke signage.

The most unique bit of decoration, however, was a wall devoted to the story of the previous publican (like 100 year previous) of the Royal being murdered by his brother-in-law. I’m guessing it was a bit of infamy and notoriety for the town. But I’m not sure I can think of too many other pubs that would blow up the news story and plaster it on a wall of the pub.

Overall, the Royal Hotel Drouin is another one of those that fits into the ‘good solid Royal’ category. It was a good place to hang out (as long as you weren’t in charge of mopping up the dishwasher leak). And it was one of those that felt like it would kick up a few notches on a big night. If I ever found myself in that part of the country again, it’s a Royal I would definitely be happy to hit up again.

Royal Stats

• Town/Suburb: Drouin, VIC
• Population: 15,287
• Date Visited: Sunday, February 16, 2025
• Visited By: Cory, John and Rod
• Beer Sponsorship on Sign: None
• Beer Consumed at Pub: Pirate Life South Coast Ale
• Price of Schooner of Said Beer: $8.00
• Unique Award: Only Royal to Actively Advertise the Murder of its Historical Publican
• Tour Progress: 59.4% (82/138)