Australian backpacker pub crawls are substantially less wild than their European counterparts, according to groups who organise these events in Australian cities. Rick Schindler, who runs one of Sydney’s leading pub crawl firms, Route 69, says that due to security measures and rules in hotels etc., Aussie pub crawls do not have the same edge as similar ones in London, Paris or Rome.

Mr. Schindler said: “We do get some complaints that it’s not as much fun as in Europe but that’s because we have to run a much tighter ship over here.”

A recent organised pub crawl in Rome lead to the death of a young Australian backpacker – who fell from one of the city’s bridges after becoming “very very drunk”, according to Dimiter Tzonev – the pub crawl organiser.

Alcohol invariably forms a large part of any Australian’s backpacker trip abroad – a year long experience which has become ‘de rigour’ for many Aussies. The difference in attitudes to drunkenness in Europe and Australia are seemingly quite marked. Hard drinking Australia-based beer guzzlers do however have better access to pubs; while bars in Paris or London may well close at 2 or 3 (despite the possibility of 24 hour drinking), pubs in Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney commonly stay open until the sun rises.

Despite the less manic pub crawls on offer in Australian cities, this continent still offers some fantastic drinking opportunities for lager fans. While Britain arguably has some of the finest drinking holes in the world, many Aussie public houses combine this convivial, pleasant atmosphere with having beer gardens that are nearly always being shined on by the sun.

This mixture of fabulous weather and cold beer means that Down Under is still a great place to be drunk.