Did you join clubs to make friends?
No, I never did. Most clubs here are sports venues for team sports and strangely enough, I'm autistic and don't do very well in team situations. I was very active and sporty when I was young but only ever solo sports.
Aussie pubs are in a way similar to an old English pub but built on a much grander scale. They cook and serve proper restaurant meals and are usually cheaper and better places to eat than normal restaurants.
During the day they're most often frequented by workers and business people having a long lunch, in a way this fills a similar role to a European cafe. In the early evening they become family friendly venues and the main focus is on food, then in the later evening they become simply an entertainment venue, often with live music.
When I was working long hours, which was most of the time, I usually went to the pub after work to get a proper meal instead of going home and cooking for myself. I'd have a few beers as well while I was there and this was also how I met women.
Aussie pubs cater to the younger crowds and are usually entertainment venues on Friday and Saturday nights but during the week most of their business comes from single working professionals. These flood the pubs of a night time during the week, they're after a good meal, a few drinks and a bit of conversation.
They don't want loud music and they especially don't want a large screen TV showing the football because they want a quiet and relaxing environment after a long and stressful day.
