10/09/2026
MATRAVILLE, 1928. WHERE OUR STORY BEGAN.
Long before the Matto as we know it today, there was a very different Matraville.
The area was dotted with market gardens, poultry farms and pig farms, and what is now a busy part of Sydney was still developing into a community of its own.
Then, in 1928, on the corner of Perry Street and Bunnerong Road, the Matraville Hotel opened its doors. A conditional licence had been approved the year before for a new hotel estimated to cost £11,000, with the new licence granted in October 1928.
Back then, the Matto was reportedly regarded as something of a “lonely outpost” a place where local farmers and workers could stop for a drink, a conversation and some company.
But Matraville was changing.
Industry was growing around the area, and the hotel would increasingly become a watering hole for workers associated with Bunnerong Power Station and major sewerage works nearby.
One of the early publicans was Joseph “Joe” Levy, who ran the hotel from around 1929. In fact, the Matraville Hotel became known locally by a nickname associated with Joe during those early years.
And by 1938, ten years after those doors first opened, the Matto had gone from an isolated pub on the edge of Sydney to part of a growing working community.
Nearly a century later, the suburb around us looks very different.
But one thing hasn't changed.
The Matto is still a place for locals to meet. ❤️
We're going to start digging further into the history of our pub and the suburb that grew around it and we'd love the community's help.
Do you have an old photo of the Matto?
Did your parents or grandparents drink here?
Did your family grow up in Matraville?
Drop your stories or photos in the comments. We'd love to see them.
FROM THE MATTO ARCHIVES — 1928–1938
