Link To Map

If your looking for somewhere in particular why not try this Map? The markers indicate a Pinball location and where available there is a link back to the relevant page on this blog letting you know a little about the venue.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Royal Hotel

The Royal is located at 370 Abercrombie st Darlington.  It has two pinball machines,a Theatre of Magic and The Addams Family machine.  Both are $1 a credit or $2 for 3 and are 3 ball.



 
 
The machines can be found upstairs, off the dining room, in a games room where there is also a pool table.  Downstairs is a TAB and Bistro with the standard pub grub, but onto the machines.

Theatre of Magic is a great machine. In fact both Theatre and Addams Family feature in the top 10 machines on ipdb.org.  Theatre's most prominent feature is the trunk that is used to lock balls to build to a multi-ball.  Unfortunately the machine at the Royal is missing the decals so it looks like a simple aluminium box.  It all works fine though and ultimately I'd rather have a working machine than a pretty machine with faults.

Hitting the trunk sets up ball lock.  Lock the ball three times and it's multi-ball.  the various ramps correspond to different "magic tricks" like sawing a lady in half or pulling rabbits our of a hat..  The aim is complete them all.

 
 
 
 
I really enjoyed this machine.  I like the theme and it integrates well into the pinball machine with the novelty value of the trunk, trapdoor and use of magnets.  I can see myself returning and spending quite a bit of time on this one.
 
Meanwhile the Addams Family machine is a classic.  It's a relatively common machine, one of the most successful machines ever made.  Great range of ramps and toys, Thing coming out and picking up the locked ball is a favourite.  It can be a little unforgiving with a particularly harsh ball save being especially frustrating.  Its possible to launch the ball and not even get a flipper to it and still not have the ball save work for you.  once it gets going though this can be a great machine.


 
There are a couple of danger zones with the electric chair being a close shot and when "the power" is triggered you have a magnet randomising the ball to contend with as well.  Overall though this is a classic and if you haven't already played it, well, you should.
 
So, two great machines at this location, what more do you want?


Thursday, September 20, 2012

The Hampshire Hotel

Sadly it seems there is no longer a pinball machine at this pub.

The Hampy is located at 91 Parramatta rd Camperdown.  It has recently had a few minor renovations and along with a new coat of paint there is now an NBA pinball at this location.  It's 5 ball and $2 a credit.




Although there is only one pinball machine there are quite a few other games on offer including two of the punching bag, strength testing machines, a "Deal Or No Deal" machine, a crane machine (with mini footballs as prizes) and a Golf machine as well. 

They have a good sized courtyard that's great for a few beers in summer and a cheap and cheerful bistro with the standard $10 pub fare.  There's also a pool table and they have trivia and meat raffles on various days of the week. Overall it seems to have retained the air of a genuine inner city pub and hopefully the new renovations don't diminish that.  The addition of a pinball machine keeps me optimistic.

I hadn't played this machine before.  It's from Stern, 2009, and is the first I've seen in Sydney.  I'm not an NBA fan but the novelty factor on this machine is fairly high with a number of shots seeing the ball thrown onto a magnetised backboard to drop through a pinball sized basket. There is also a spinning disc in the centre of the playfield that can act as both a help and a hindrance.  I'm generally not a fan of the spinning dics or magnetised playfields as they add that random element that makes it easy for me to blame the machine rather than myself when I have a bad game.  However, I did find this one fit nicely into the game, both preventing shots from rolling straight back down the centre and also acting as a kind of "defence" when you needed to shoot for the hoop that fit into the NBA theme.




 
My biggest concern with the machine however was that the right flipper botton was broken.  I know this machine had only been in the pub for a week at most when I played it and to see it already has a broken flipper button already has me worried.  Hopefully this was something that occured after the machine was installed in the pub and will be fixed soon, but if this was installed with the broken button (a very cheap part that should be a relatively easy fix) this doesn't bode well for any future issues the machine may encounter.

I'm sure I will head back over the coming months so I will report if this gets fixed or not, and whether the completed pub renovations see any more machines installed.

Overall though the Hampy is a pub well worth a visit, whether it be on a sunny weekend to have a few beers in the courtyard, or to duck in for a few games of pinball and a $10 steak.  The bus stops right out the front and next door is one of the best places to buy a chicken burger in Sydney while across the road is a great little Korean restaurant if you're not up for pub grub.  All in all the addition of pinball to this pub has only increased my fondness for it.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

The Canterbury Bowling Club

The Canterbury Bowling Club is located on Close street Canterbury.  There are three pinball machines located here, Elvira and the Party Monsters, Congo and Dr Who.   They are all $1 a go and 3 balls.

 

These are all older, fairly hard to find machines, the only one I'd played before was Doctor Who. 

 

In the few times I played it seems like the multiball was very get-able, lock two balls which raises a section at the centre back of the playfield revealing a set of targets that once hit (till the playfield lights are all lit) raises the platform again to reveal three holes that correspond to Daleks - hit one of them to start a three ball multiball and some "Exterminate!" sound effects

This was about as far as I got with this machine though. I didn't really suss out any high scoring techniques but i think the use of the third flipper  (up and to the left) might be the key.  At any rate, this is a fun machine well worth a go, and with a relatively gettable multiball may of been the easier of three.


Congo is a much better pinball machine than it was a movie.  In fact it has been quite a while since I saw Congo and I had forgotten (or tried to) how bad the movie was until I heard the sample on the machine saying "The Gorilla knows where the diamonds are!".  And is my memory playing up or were there Gorillas with laser beams attached to them?  Either way, you don't need to have watched the movie to enjoy the pinball, in fact I recommend not watching the movie.  Although, reading that back, a movie about Gorillas with laser beams smuggling diamonds sounds awesome... Maybe I need to re-think my stance.




 
Congo seems to be an intereesting balance of easy shots and hard.  The right ramp volcano is an example of the hard.  It's not just that it's the steepest ramp on the table but the fact that the shot is through the field of bumpers means if you dont make the shot the ball with careen off the bumpers and all control is lost.  Worse case scenario the ball will rocket out of the bumpers and straight between the flippers.  The three shots on the left are relatively easy, it just took me a while to get used to the third flipper.  At any rate the left side of the playfield is definitely safer.
 
Also the table seems to have an inset playfield but despite lighting the Gray targets via the Gray lane and it locking the ball (which is apparently how to activate it) I didn't see it in action. Maybe next time.
 
 
The third machine is Elvira and the Party Monsters. The oldest machine of the three it is the predecessor to Scared Stiff and shares a few things in common with that machine - including the appearance of the Dead Heads, the Boogeyman Boogie and Elviras encouraging innuendo.
 
 
 
And although it's not crazy hard it is probably the most unforgiving of the three with no ball save and a couple of ramps that can mean trouble if you dont make them.  Overall I'd say I had my best go and my worst go on this machine.  It's well worth playing especially as I believe it's quite rare to find this machine in such good condition.
 
My only negative points regardig these machines would be that there is some glare off the glass (as can be seen in the photos) as a flourescent light sits above them.  Congo and Doctor Who are hit the worst but even so this isn't a deal breaker.  I've seen worse glare in other venues.  Be sure to take plenty of gold coins though as being 3 ball and fairly punishing you will more than likely need a few credits to get into the swing of things.
 
I'll definitely be heading back to the Canterbury Bowlo for a few more games of pinball and a few cheap beers - the drinks holder on the legs of the machine are genius.  I should also mention that these are zball.com.au machines and they are running a Pinball Comp with the grand prize being a Dracula pinball machine.  Check their website for details.
 


Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Off Broadway Hotel

Update - As of May 2016 machines available are ACDC and Star Trek (1991)

The Off Broadway Hotel is located underneath the Broadway shopping Centre On Bay St next to Blockbuster.  They currently have a Tron: Legacy (Limited Edition) and a Batman Forever pinball machine. However the Batman Forever machine was switched off on my visit.  Tron is $2 a credit and Batman is $1 a credit or $3 for 2.  Both are 5 ball machines.





The Off Broadway is a bit of an odd pub.  Its location under a mall makes it feel like a bit of a dive.  That said it has all you would want from a pub, big screen projector, occasional live music, pool tables, a large TAB a Buck Hunter Safari machine and a great history of housing pinball machines.  In fact I had expected to see the Rolling Stones pinball machine here but it must of been switched out for Tron within the last month or two.


This is the first Tron Machine I've seen at a location.  It is the Limited Edition version but from what I can gather that just means it has s different back glass and a little plaque displaying its number out of the 400 run.

This one is number 27.  Pretty cool, but I don't believe it changes the game at all.



The game itself, though pretty and nice and shiny, left me a little disappointed.  There seemed to me to be a high degree of luck and randomness involved in the way the ball would be returned after certain shots.  The left loop sends the ball around and into a set of pop bumpers that can spit the ball out in any direction.  The centre shot is dangerous as is but when you open the spinning disc shot, and you are required to hit it onto the disc 5 times for a multi-ball, we again have an instance of the ball being thrown out off the disc in a random direction (A similar spinning disc appears on the CSI machine, also a danger shot).

I may be overstating things, and one good go might have coloured my opinion of the machine differently.  It's certainly worth a look, it is a nice shiny machine.  Im just hoping that Batman Forever is up and running next time to give a bit of variety.







Monday, July 23, 2012

The Botany View

Update: As at May 2016 there was no pinball machine at this venue

The Botany View is located at 597 King st Newtown.

They have a Batman (2008) machine.

Located a short stroll from St Peters train station the Botany View makes a great local but has made a name for itself outside of the usual regulars thanks to the food.  Check out the Darley St Bistro menu here and plan a feed before you play the pinny.




The Botany view also has bands playing every Sunday.  Theres a trivia night and a raffle night.  Check out whats on and when here.

If you haven't played the latest Batman pinny I can recommend it.  Although I haven't played it extensively, after a quick go at this location, plus a good go at the one at the Bald Faced Stag (stay tuned for a blog entry), this machine definitely has some great elements that make me want to go back for more.

Theres plenty going on, a few different multiballs and the crane toy is pretty fun.  And hey, if you don't like the pinball machine, right next to it is a game where you can throw virtual mini bean bags.




So next time you're trying to figure out where you can get a good feed, a beer, a band and a pinny, check out the Botany View.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

The White Cockatoo

The White Cockatoo is no more.  It is now called "West Village" and is too cool for pinball machines. If you do end up there for some non-pinball related reason, I can recommend the Kimchi Poutine.  Of course no pinnies and Kimchi Poutine on the menu should tell you all you need to know about what has happened to the old White Cock

The White Cockatoo is located at 30 Terminus st Petersham, just across from the station.

After you've finished eating one of their giant schnitzels have a go on Tales of the Arabian Nights.  Despite what the pricing info on the machine says it is $2 a credit, $4 for 3, and is 5 ball.

This is a fantastic machine with plenty going on.  The right mix of elements to easily get into but a hard one to master.  The machine is in pretty good condition although the magnet in front of the Genie didnt seem to work.  I dont think this had too great an impact on the game-play though and if I hadn't previously played one where the magnet did work I might not of noticed.




The White Cockatoo previously had a new Batman machine and this Arabian Nights has been here for a few months now so hopefully this will stay up to date for a little while before they switch it out again.  In the meantime if you haven't already played Arabian Nights I recommend coming down and checking it out.

The White Cockatoo has a Pool table and a TAB and its bistro serves famously large portions.  There are a variety of Schnitzels on offer.  I have only ever shared one and even between 2 people never finished. 

Weeknights offer a range of reasons to visit; trivia, raffles, toss the boss and free pool.  Check the website here to see whats on and when.

So hop on the train and stop at Petersham and give Arabian Nights a go.  Just be careful the Genie doesn't try and steal your beer like he did mine...


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

The Townie

Current machines downstairs are POTC and The Wizard of Oz.  I hope to post a new blog entry regarding WOO once I get a chance to play it.  The couple of times I've been to the Townie since it's been installed it has been in constant use and I have been unable to give it a go.

The Town Hall Hotel - or The Townie - is located at 326 King st Newtown, right next door to Newtown Train Station.

They currently have four machines available.  The three down stairs are Family Guy, Addams Family and Revenge From Mars.  Upstairs, near the pool table, is a Simpsons Pinball Party machine.

The machines are all 5 ball and are $2 a credit except for Family Guy which is $3 a credit or $5 for 2 credits.  They are all in very good nick and The Addams Family machine seems to have had some extra toys installed including a Polar Bear and a lightbulb-biting Uncle Fester on the Electric Chair.  I dont believe there is any change in game play but as I've played Addams Family plenty of times before I didnt give it a go this time.





In fact, despite the price bump, I only played the Family Guy machine on this occassion.  It seems like a pretty good machine with plenty of interesting shots and features to complete,  I'm just not sure why the price hike. 

Previously I have seen this pricing around town on Medieval Madness machine at the Lansdowne and Monster Bash at the Warrenview  (All three sites are Player one sites).  I have justified the extra expense on these machines in my write up of the venues, both are very rare and desirable and are hard to find in good condition, let alone the pristine condition these are in.  However the Family Guy machine is new and yet to stand the test of time as far as desirability.  I can only assume that being a new machine has set the price.

Actually maybe its to help pay off the fantastic beer holders affixed to the legs of each machine.  Every pinball should have one.



At any rate the other machines available are also well worth a play.  The Addams Family is a classic and, once you get used to the Pinball 2000 features, Revenge From Mars is also a great machine (though no match for its predecessor Attack From Mars).  If you're interested in the story of this machine, and it's only counterpart Star Wars Episode 1 I recommend checking out the documentary Tilt: The Battle to Save Pinball.




 Anyway, the fact that there are four pinball machines here is just one of the reasons that the Townie is a great pub.  With Live music, a good bistro, a TAB, Trivia nights and a genuine pub feel this is the best pub in Newtown.  Check out whats on, and when, here. Or head there on the last Sunday of the month for Electric Sundays.






Thursday, May 31, 2012

Queen Victoria Hotel

Note: The current machine at the Queen Vic is an Attack From Mars.  Another classic that has been hard to come by recently.


The Queen Victoria Hotel is located at 167 Enmore rd.  They have an Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure and a Scared Stiff machine.

It was as pleasant suprise to find the original Indy machine after our disappointment with the update (read all about that here), a shame though to find that the Scared Stiff machine was turned off.  Will have to update after next visit to report if it gets replaced or fixed, till then I'll get my fill of saucy Elvira quotes at Bill & Toni's.





The QVH has an impressive TAB, pool tables, courtyards and a bistro.  I've never eaten here though , or been upstairs.  In fact I've only headed in here on a handfull of prior occassions, usually before a show at the Enmore theatre.  It's not a bad pub though and worth a stop in on your next Newtown pinball odyssey.

Indiana Jones is a bit of a classic machine with plenty going on.  If you haven't played it before head to the QVH and give it a go.  Click here for a look at it in action.







Tuesday, May 29, 2012

The Warren View Hotel

The Warren View Hotel is located at 2 Stanmore rd, Enmore (cnr of Stanmore and Enmore rd).  They have two pinball machines - A Red and Ted's Road Show  ($2 for 5 balls) and a Monster Bash ($3 or $5 for 2 credits - 5 balls)

Update: The Warren View now has Theatre of Magic, The Avengers (Hulk LE) and Spider-man machines

We arrived at the end of the night, not realising the Warren View had a midnight curfew, so only got a quick go on each.  But they are both great machines.




Road Show is fairly distinctive for its two creepy heads and its tendency to shake like a bulldozer during play.  I've only played this briefly once before and, as stated, only got a quick go this visit. There is plenty going on, seems to have a fairly deep rule set, is in good condition and I will be coming back to have a proper go when I get the chance.




My time will be split though, as Monster Bash is also a great machine that I look forward to spending more time with. I won't go into details about the machine as I only got one play through, and had had a few beers by this point, but it seemed simple with a lot going on.  Perhaps I'll peruse this tutorial video before i return and learn the rules to get the most out of it.  After all it is $3 a go, which, along with Medieval Madness at the Landsdowne makes it the most expensive Pinny in town


On the positive side I felt that it was worth the little extra money, or at least I'd be willing to pay the same again for another go.  On the negative this just made it all the more frustrating that the staff, or at least the security staff, seemed to not understand.  Last drinks were called and then we were asked to move on, but we were in the middle of a game of Monster Bash.  We managed to hold out till we were done but with the security asking us to leave every couple of minutes, clapping to get our attention while we were mid-ball it was all very distracting and ruined a great little game.





The Warren View also has two pool tables, a Big Buck hunter and a 2012 Goldeen Tee machine.  But I wouldnt bother sinking any money into them any later than about 11:45pm or you may not get your moneys worth.

Anyway, a bit of a shame that the closing time ruined the experience but I'll go back to try these two great machines again... I'll just start earlier in the day next time.

Monday, May 28, 2012

The Golden Barley Hotel

The Golden Barley Hotel is located at 167 Edgeware rd Enmore. They have a Grand Prix machine and an Indiana Jones (2008) machine.  Both are 3 ball and $1 a credit or $2 for 3 credits.

UPDATE:  The Indiana Jones machine has been replaced with an Addams Family machine.  As you can tell from my opinion of the Indy machine below, this is a good thing. It is also $2 for 3 credits.






So, lets start with the machines.  I'd been curious about the new Indiana Jones machine for a while.  The original (Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure) is something of a classic so maybe expectations were a little high but this latest Indy pinny, much like the latest movie instalment, dissapoints.

The four movies seem to have inspired four things to do.  Near field left there is a scoop representing The Last Crusade, to the right of that is another scoop, this one needs to be opened by hitting it first, representing the Temple Of Doom. Straight up the middle is the Ark from Raiders with a magnet in front to mess with the ball and to the right of that is the Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull ramp. there are two orbits and a closed off section that requires you to hit the pinball into some captive balls to spell MAP for bonus multiplier. And that seems to be about it. 

The highlight would be the 8 ball multiball. triggering the Ark shot opens the Ark and drops balls onto the playfield, which is cool the first time it happens, but 8 balls just feels a bit redundant, overcompensating perhaps? This and other multiballs seem to just require you to "hit flashing shots" and from what I could tell, every shot was flashing.



I think another reason this didn't play well for me was the waiting.  As an Indiana Jones machine it seemed packed with sound bites from the various movies, but in a loud pub, the sound not up too high, these were basically inaudible which meant waiting for the ball to eject for an inordinately long time till the sound bite I couldn't hear had run through.  I'd give the benefit of the doubt and say this would probably be much more enjoyable if it could be heard. 

So, in summary, four things to achieve, each one triggers a multiball that requires you to hit everything.  Rinse and repeat. Its just a bit boring.

Oh, one more thing.  The ball got stuck going round the orbit twice during my play through of this machine.  It took a tilt to dislodge it.  I don't know if this is becuase the machine isnt set at a high enough angle or just a little quirk of this machines design but it was one more mark against it.

Anyway, before I go on to the pleasant suprise that is Grand prix I might just cover the Golden Barley itself. Instant points when we found out it was $10 for jugs of Coopers all Saturday.  The Barley is a big pub, though I've rarely set foot outside of the front bar.  There is a bistro out the back as well as a beer garden that I've heard good things about.  Along with the Pinnies in the front bar theres a juke box and two pool tables.  There's also a TAB and plenty of screens showing various sporting events depending on the season.  Check out whats going on each day of the week here.







Now, onto Grand Prix.  I'd played this briefly once before as there is one at the Timezone near the Hoyts on George st. That one requires you to get a Timezone rechargable card and, as seems the norm in for pinball machines in arcades, was in pretty average condition. I had enjoyed it though and a shiny, fully working machine like the one at the Barley was fantastic.

The track around the outside of the playfield is a great touch. The ball does a few laps before ejecting it into the play field and during multiball a ball does laps, keeping the tension up and acting as a ball save, ejecting onto the playfield once you drain the ones in play.

The shots are all relatively simple but the game flows quickly and theres something about it that is just fun, especially the multiball with its cheesy 90's rock song and ball flying around the outside of the playfield.

All in all the Barley is a great bet and I think I'll be here drinking $10 jugs of Coopers and playing a new favourite machine quite often in the future.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Kellys On King

Kellys on King is located at 285 King st, Newtown. Upstairs it has a Tales From The Crypt machine .


Kellys is an Irish pub so that means Guinness... though I was quite disappointed it was served in a plastic glass, though this may of been a Saturday night thing. I'm sure I've had a pint in a glass here in the past. 

Anyway, along with the pinny there are also two pool tables, a Big Buck Hunter machine and a juke box, all upstairs.  Downstairs there are plenty of monitors for the footy and also a TAB.  They have a decent pub grub menu with the sort of fare you'd expect from an Irish pub.





The Pinball machine is in good nick, its $2 a go for 5 balls.  Its been a long time since I've played tales from the Crypt and I didn't remember much about it.  There's plenty going on and multiball isn't too hard to come by and neither is the "Axe-tra Ball" (I do love a bad pun), but those ramps are quite steep and can be deadly.  Over all it's a good machine that seems to have a fairly easy entry level but there are plenty of different modes and some tricky shots that feels like it would reward some more time spent with it.

I plan to come back, probably during the day (there was a bit of glare on the glass that Ill give the benefit of the doubt to and blame on Saturday night lighting) and have a guinness (hopefully in a glass this time) and a few more rounds with Tales From The Crypt. 

Being in the middle of Newtown, Kellys is pretty easy to recommend for a quick stop in, perhaps next time your looking to kill 20 minutes before the movie starts.

Monday, May 21, 2012

The Clare Hotel

Update - The Clare is now "The Old Clare Hotel"  and they don't want pinball playing scum in there messing up their funky fresh new look. 
Actually, I have no idea if they have a pinball machine in there.  While I highly doubt it, I haven't peeked inside since the renovations, but click through to their website and I think you get the idea.
Another one bites the dust

The Clare is located at 20 Broadway, Ultimo.  Just a quick walk down from the Bus terminal near Central.

UPDATE: There is now also a The Champion Pub machine at this venue.


They have a good history of having Pinball machines at this location and currently there are two -  Austin Powers and The Getaway: High Speed II.  They are both 5 ball machines at $2 a credit.






The Clare is notable for its old lounge chairs and lamps style seating arrangement.  Not a bad place to sit around on an afternoon and drink a few beers.  The proximity of the UTS means a fairly young crowd most of the time.  Theres also a pool table.  But on to the machines.

I'd seen and played Getaway at a few places around town over the years and this one seemed like it was in good condition.  Don't take my word for it though as all my coins went into Austin Powers as I had not had a go of it before.

Again, it's in good condition and it seems like a fairly forgiving machine.  Looking  at the reviews on ipdb.org a lot of them are pretty negative, but most seem to centre around technical issues with the machine.  This machine seems in 100% working order though so a lot of these can be ignored.

The Austin Powers schtick started to wear a bit thin by the third movie but enough time has passed (for me at least) that I didnt mind the sound bites, some even raised a smile.  If you still feel the need to punch people in the head who ask you "Do you feel horny, baby?" then I'd steer clear of this machine.  Just play The Getaway instead.

I did notice that the "Fat Bastard" multiball had a very familiar dot matrix graphic to start it off.  It shares a toilet theme with South Park...

Overall I enjoyed Austin Powers (and The Getaway is worth a play as well) and The Clare is definitely worth a stop in on your next Pinball and/or pub crawl. 




Hotel William

UPDATE:  No Gunners, No Fish Tales, No POTC - Currently the William has a Tron Legacy machine and a Terminator 2: Judgement Day .






The Pirates machine is $2 a credit or $3 for 2 and is 5 ball.  Fish Tales is $1 a go or $2 for 3 credits and is 3 ball.

Fish Tales is in pretty good condition. It's a good machine but can be pretty unforgiving. Miss a shot and there's a good chance the ball will roll back straight down the center.  The extra ball shot seems pretty hard to hit, enough so that I wondered if it was actually working or not.  Overall it is a fun, though challenging machine.

Pirates is a machine I was quite skeptical about at first but I've come to love it.  It's easy enough to get a good go at, lining up multiple multi balls is a good strategy, but it's deep enough that there's always another target to go for - I'm yet to kill Davy Jones for example.

The Pirates of the Caribbean machine seems to have become quite popular.  I've seen a few around lately (including one around the corner from The William at Bill and Toni's) and this isn't a bad thing as it's a reliably fun game.  The one here has a couple of issues that might take a little to get used to, but are also easy to exploit once you know how. 

The table seems to have a lean. A ball rolling back towards the flipper that may seem like its going between them will veer to the left flipper.  This can be a blessing, though that ball you thought was going to hit the right flipper that veers off and drops between the flippers can be frustrating.  The saving grace is the very very lenient tilt setting.  You can drag the machine about a foot either way before the tilt kicks in.

Another annoying quirk is the kick out of the left orbit onto the upper table doesn't always register.  The machine will kick it out when it does a ball search after a period of time, which can be a good chance to have a sip of beer, but it can break up the game.  Again though, this can be used to your advantage.  Once multiball is lit if you can flip a ball round the left orbit you can continue your multiball knowing you have a ball safely locked away till you lose the rest.

At any rate, these two machines make this pub well worth a visit.  Read on for the old review when the Guns and Roses machine was the only option here...

Monday, May 14, 2012

The Victoria Hotel

The Vic is located at 176A Young st Annandale.

UPDATE: The CSI machine has been replaced with an AC/DC machine (not sure which version).  If anyone knows where the CSI machine has been moved to please comment.

They have a CSI pinball machine.  Its 3 ball, $2 a credit or 2 credits for $3.




The Pub has a bistro, a TAB, trivia nights and, well, check the website and see for yourself.

The CSI machine is in good condition and is, so far, the only one I've seen in Sydney.  It's pretty harsh though and I was left wishing it was a 5 ball machine so I could get a bit more going on.  Thats not to say its a bad machine, on the contrary, its just that it's more for the pinball regular than the first timer. 

It has a couple of cool features.  Lock two balls in the skull and they pop out his eyes to start the Skull Multiball. 

The centrifuge spins the ball around and after a few times delivers another multiball, just be carefull it doesnt drop it straight down the centre once it stops spinning.I lost more than a few balls this way.

Hit the microscope shot and start collecting evidence to get the third multiball.  Again, be careful of the microscope shot, sometimes it throws the ball straight back between the flippers.

So if your up for the challenge, and a few cheeky beers, the Vic is a good bet.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Lewisham hotel

Update: The Lewisham, now trying to be known as "The Louis Hotel", (and I hope that doesn't take off) no longer has a pinball machine, or anyone who can pour a decent beer.

The Lewisham Hotel is located 794 Parramatta rd Lewisham

They currently have a Pirates of the Caribbean pinball machine.  Its 3 balls at $1 a credit or $2 for 3.

Note: There is now Spider-Man machine here - currently in good working order.

Its in good condition though did seem to have a sensor stuck at the time of playing causing it to rack up a few extra points and replay part of a sound bite.  Hopefully this will be fixed soon.  Theres also a Big Buck Hunter machine.





The venue itself is quite large.  There's a pool table out the back in the larger beer garden, and it's also the home to the Sydney Livehouse. There are usually bands on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Check the link to see who's playing. You can also find them on Facebook.

Theres a cheap and cheerful bistro with the usual Pub Grub and all in all its not a bad little place to come and have a game of pinball and see a live band.

The Newington Inn

The Newington Inn is located at 292 Stanmore Road, Petersham.
 It has a South Park pinball machine.  Its in good nick and for 3 balls it's $2 a go or $3 for 2 credits.
Its a good litle pub with plenty to recommend it.  Along with the Pinny there are 2 Pool tables (at $3 a go), an "Extreme Hunting" machine, an 80's retro arcade emulator and a jukebox..
They have Fox Sports if you looking to watch the game in between multiballs and theres a TAB on hand if your partial to a flutter.
I havent' eaten there but they have cook-your-own steaks along with the usual pub grub. 
 They also have a karaoke night. I should of paid more attention to which night so i would know when to avoid the place.
All in all it's pretty easy to recommend.  South Park is a decent, pretty forgiving machine and if you're in the area stop in for a beer a bet and a quick game of pinball.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Bill & Toni's

Note: Last sighting here there was a The Sopranos and a Spider-Man machine

Bill and Toni's cafe is located at 74 Stanley st in Darlinghurst.

Grab a coffee and take your pick of a Pirates of The Caribbean or Family Guy Pinball machine.

They are both $2 a credit, 5 ball machines and in good condition.

Theres a chocolate claw machine next to them and a table top arcade machine.


Pinball In Sydney


This blog is an attempt to keep an up to date record of Pinball machine locations, and machines available in them, in Sydney.

I'll start basic but hopefully I'll build up a little database of reliable locations with updated information when machines are replaced, broken, moved etc.  I'll see how quickly my interest wears thin to how detailed I'll go into regarding the machines themselves and the locations.

To start things off heres a map with currently known Pinball locations and the machines in them.  As I update the blog I hope to link the relevant pages to the map to make things easy.

Enjoy!




View Pinball Locations in a larger map