When somebody says Australian, the majority of us may think of barbeques, surfing, drinking and possibly sports teams that always seem to be better than England (apart from at football). Walkabout however, isn’t quite that cliched but it does go some way to putting you in a bar by the beach in a hot sandy place.

The Venue
As you enter from the bustling Broad Street the size of the venue is quite impressive, a small comfortable seating area to your left reassures that this isn’t just a place for the young and rowdy.

Large wooden tables with stools adorn the main space with a dance floor at the very back with a projector screen for ever-popular sporting action. There are also plasma TVs scattered throughout so you won’t miss a minute of the latest cup tie, throw off or rip curl, if that’s your kind of thing. The bar sits down the left hand side of the pub and is a decent length allowing plenty of punters to silently duel for service.

The People
The atmosphere depends on the night of the week a visit takes place; weeknights are normally student orientated with cheap drinks and DJs or theme nights so expect a messy one there. During the daytime at weekends are typically sport focused with a casual laid back generally Australian feel to proceedings.

The bar staff do include some genuine Aussies who seem happy to work here and carry out their job with a smile. Inside people are happy to talk to strangers about sport, it feels like a local pub with people crowding together to watch a match. During a night out the music is generally cheesy pop, dance and occasional R&B. The dance floor is a fun place to be and the venue makes a decent effort to make sure everyone is having a good time; although after a few the upstairs toilets can be tricky.

The Food
Also on offer is an adequately sized and sometimes exotic menu. Snacks from sandwiches and burgers to main meals such as smothered chicken make up the main, but there are more exciting exceptions with kangaroo or springbok meats for the brave. The steak sandwich is moist, generously filled with a good portion of chips and side salad, and quite reasonable at just under five pounds.

The Drink
A visit to an Australian bar wouldn’t be complete without drink and lots of it. Draught beers and lagers included Fosters (of course), Stella, Carlsberg, Guinness and John Smiths. There is a plethora of bottled beers including Fosters Twist and Ice and a variety of Australian originals such as Victoria beer, Tooheys lager, Carlton cold and Crown dry.

These are a welcome break from the usual selection and add to the thematic experience. As a pub it’s perfectly adequate for a drink or the warm up to a big night out. Sometimes though, it can feel like it’s yet another venue that doesn’t quite know what it is, pub or club. Loud music can be heard playing in the late afternoon yet on the comfortable chairs near the windows over 50s will sit with a pint watching the world go by.

The Last Word
It’s this conflict of identity that keeps it to three stars, you can do much worse though and the Australian theme can’t be found anywhere else in Birmingham, so it’s worth a drink for the experience if nothing else.