Royal Hotel Sofala

After finishing up in Cassilis, the tour rolled on 2 hours south and seemingly 100 years back in time to the Royal Hotel Sofala.

And that’s not a dig at Sofala by any means.  I’m pretty sure the olde-time-iness is intentional.  Or if not completely intentional, at the very least fully embraced.  We thought Carcoar was essentially a movie set, but Sofala may have it one-upped.  Sofala is an old gold-mining town. And that is something that it would take you about 5 seconds to guess upon arriving in Sofala.  Everything in Sofala somehow straddles the line between cool, quaint, and functional.  If I’m being totally honest, I don’t think I ever believed that was a line that actually existed. 

Right along the exceptionally narrow main street sits the Royal Hotel Sofala.  The Cassilis Royal we had just come from had a done-up-but-pulling-it-off kind of vibe.  The Royal Hotel Sofala had none of that.  That’s because it was 100% authentic.  In this picture postcard historical town, this was a pub that was not for show.  If I had to guess, I’d say the drinkers at Sofala consisted of John, myself, and locals. Locals who wandered up the street carrying schooners to chat with mates passing by.  The only-drink-in-the-pub rules weren’t super strictly enforced. Closer to guidelines.

But that being said, it was not in any way an intimidating or unwelcoming pub.  So we settled in at a table out the front to soak in the history Sofala had wafting through the air.  We decided on the front because of the people/town watching opportunities, but also because it was packed inside.  Sofala only has 208 people.  And I’d say about 40% of them were at the pub that night. 

The Royal Hotel Sofala managed to tick every box we had in mind when we set out on this tour.  It was simultaneous unique, reasonably remote, full of character, not rundown but also not done up, hospitable, and the kind of place I could imagine coming for a schooner several times a week if I lived in the area.  It’s without a doubt the kind of Royal I would (and hopefully will) drink at again.

Royal Stats

• Town/Suburb: Sofala, NSW
• Population: 208
• Date Visited: Saturday, May 6, 2023
• Visited By: Cory, John
• Beer Sponsorship on Sign: Tooheys New ‘Special’
• Beer Consumed at Pub: Tooheys New
• Price of Schooner of Said Beer: $7.80
• Unique Award: Best Royal for Wandering Schooner Consumption
• Tour Progress: 26.5% (36/136)