EP. 1223 COME IN SPINNER... TOP PLACES FOR TWO-UP

Discover the soul of ANZAC Day through the eyes of world champion two-up player, Zanthany Borula. She's not just tossing coins; she's bringing to life the traditions and memories that shape Australia's national spirit. In our latest episode, Zanthany doesn't just walk us through the lively game of two-up; she honors the dawn service, paying homage to the brave souls who served our nation. This isn't just a game—it's a heartfelt tribute interwoven with the joy of community engagement and the profound respect for those who have fallen.

Let Zanthany guide you to Sydney's prime two-up spots, as recommended by Time Out, all while steeping in the significance of keeping ANZAC Day's spirit aglow. From the local dawn service to the hallowed toss of coins, Zanthany shares how to embrace the day with a blend of revelry and reverence. Whether you're a seasoned two-up enthusiast or a curious newcomer, prepare for a day that's equal parts commemoration and celebration, and learn why this game is more than just a holiday pastime—it's a thread in the fabric of Australian heritage.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

2UP, 2up, 2up everything you need to know about 2UP.

Speaker 2: 0:05

Thank you world champion two-up player, xanthony barrala. Welcome to the show. Well, thank you for having me here alive on the air. Mark novak, and yes, I am a world champion two-up player. You know what I absolutely love Anzac Day, not only for all of the historical remembrance and everything that goes on in paying our respect to those past, present and fallen, but just the activities it entails as well, most notably Tua.

Speaker 1: 1:04

Yeah, so anyone who's out of sydney, uh, watching from around the world, um, we've got a public holiday, uh, in memory of our anzacs, and we've got a tradition on our public holiday that we play a game called two up. It's played with any coins yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 1:25

Well, there's special two-up coins, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:28

There's two-up coins.

Speaker 2: 1:30

There's two-up coins, yeah.

Speaker 1: 1:33

So it's played with two-up coins and what do you do? Explain the game? I haven't even done it. What a loser.

Speaker 2: 1:43

It's basically heads or tails pretty much.

Speaker 1: 1:49

And the stakes are whatever you want them to be, and it finishes in our country at midday, 12 o'clock. It's illegal to play it after that, but our politicians allow us to play it in the morning two up. So what happens is all the locals get out and they all go to a local pub.

Speaker 2: 2:13

Pub, hotel, bar, whatever it might be, anywhere that is allowed to play two up.

Speaker 1: 2:21

They get on the cans and play two up. So it's an exciting day to get out early, being a public holiday, getting to the game. And boys, there's some spirit behind it. So, zanthony, where are you going?

Speaker 2: 2:35

Look, I'm a big fan of keeping it local, so I will go down to my local services club, which is Hardboard Diggersgers, in the morning for the dawn service dawn service, which will kick off at about 5 36 o'clock in the morning and I'll head back, have a bit of a nap and go back to the same venue for two up. So I'll more than likely get there at around 10 o'clock in the morning, start hitting the source then and just make a day of it.

Speaker 1: 3:04

Did I hear you're going on the dawn service?

Speaker 2: 3:07

I will. Yeah, I do that every year. I feel like it's Anzac Day isn't just about having a day away from work, having a day off, hitting the drinks with your friends. There's actually a lot of history behind it. So I do like to just get up early, do the dawn service and just pay my respects to everyone involved in, you know, the wars saving up, protecting our nation, serving for our nation, that kind of thing.

Speaker 1: 3:38

You've actually inspired me. I think I might go in as well. What time is it? Quarter to five or something?

Speaker 2: 3:44

It depends on where you go. Really DYRSL does a really good dawn in as well. What time is it Quarter to five or something. It depends on where you go. Really DYRSL does a really good dawn service as well, and they're doing theirs at DY Beach this year. So yeah, get down there.

Speaker 1: 3:53

I thought you were going to go into the city.

Speaker 2: 3:56

No, I'm not going into the city, I'm keeping it local.

Speaker 1: 3:59

I was going to say that's even more impressive.

Speaker 2: 4:07

I've been in for the.

Speaker 1: 4:09

Dawn.

Speaker 2: 4:09

Service a couple of times when I was a scout, you were a scout yeah Well, I've just learned something new.

Speaker 1: 4:15

Yeah, a boy scout, second narrow bean.

Speaker 2: 4:24

So tell us the top places in Sydney to go for two-up tomorrow, tomorrow, please, and we've got a list and believe it or not, it looks not easy to find look.

Speaker 2: 4:30

I searched so many things top 10 places to go, the very best places in sydney to hit for two up to 2024. What I could find, though, was Time Out has recently released an article where it's just best or where to play 2UP across Sydney. So this is some of the best places, and the Northern Beaches, of course we're going to talk about this, because the Northern Beaches made it in this article a few times as well. So some of the best places to play. I just need to reach forward to search my little article. Some of the best places to play two-up across Sydney this year include, most notably, hardboard diggers. So 8 o'clock in the morning is when we have the commemorative ceremony, and then 11 am for only two up games. So they'll be kicking off from around 11 o'clock until 6 pm, and it is one of the biggest two up events on the northern beaches. They block out their whole car park for this event, with the coins kicking off, like I said, midday until 6 pm I stand corrected.

Speaker 1: 5:41

I thought it finished at 12. There you go Arcade sales until 6. Two ups, 11 until 6.

Speaker 2: 5:46

Oh, boy dear.

Speaker 1: 5:47

Castle Hill, rsl, dick's Hotel, great Hotel, sourced Ups. Anthony, there you go Now, give me some more. Give me some more. Where else can we go in Sydney, particularly?

Speaker 2: 5:59

for a beach, okay, else can we go in sydney particularly okay. Let me just do this a little bit. Have you heard of vick on the park in marrickville? No little bar in marrickville that all kicks off from. Bars open at 11 am. Everything kicks off from midday. We've got the wallara hotel. Everything opens 9 am, two up, kicking off from midday Live music, food and drinks.

Speaker 1: 6:26

Woolara.

Speaker 2: 6:28

Get on it. Watson's Bay Tea Hotel I love Watson's Bay Hotel. It is a stunning venue right on the water. Get a ferry across to it.

Speaker 1: 6:42

It's got magic, that's for sure.

Speaker 2: 6:44

That would be a stunning venue. To go to Hardboard Hotel. Here's another nice little local one for me. So in Fretty we've got two venues the Hardboard Diggers and the Hardboard Hotel Again, hardboard Hotel. Close out their whole entire car park in the rear of the venue for two up to kick off Solid what else. One in the city around Mark's Neck of the Woods Jackson's on Jaws.

Speaker 1: 7:15

Oh, that'll be a new establishment, Great place to go. I think it'll be their first one they've done in a long time. They've been closed for like six, seven years. Then we've got. What have we got in Manly?

Speaker 2: 7:28

Manly Warfbar.

Speaker 1: 7:31

Oh, warfbar will make this. These are magical locations, aren't they? They really are. What a place to go. So get up there for two up tomorrow, any other up further north, we've got Newport Arms.

Speaker 2: 7:42

We've got the Newport. Yeah, head up to the Newport as well on their decks, right on the water. Beautiful venues, scenic views, and it's not just about the two up as well, there's always live music, there's a lot of food. Just get together with friends. But 2UP it's a really fun day and, mark, it will be your very first experience playing 2UP.

Speaker 1: 8:07

Yeah, so I don't know what happened to me. I'm 47 and I haven't played 2UP. Sorry, everyone.

Speaker 2: 8:22

Tomorrow I'm breaking my virginity and two up, so we should really disclose the things you need to know for two up. So it is a very congested, I suppose, experience. Everybody's on top of everyone. You'll see a lot of this happening with the heads heads heads, heads.

Speaker 1: 8:43

If you want to met somebody, ah, okay, and what's tails then?

Speaker 2: 8:47

we'll put it. Yeah, so you'll wave the your note on your head. If you're going to guess that two out of the three coins will go, flip up his heads, you'll find somebody in the crowd that wants to say no, no, no, it's going to be tails, and then they'll start. They'll be like okay, let's put twenty dollars down on it that is, the heads or on your bum tails tails.

Speaker 2: 9:12

Okay, yeah, all right, there are three coins that get spun high up in the air and when they they land, it's basically best out of three. So if two are on the heads, it's heads, and they need to. Yeah, there's a lot of complexities around it, I'm just dumbing it right down. So, three coins best, and if two out of the three are heads, it's heads. If two out of the three are tails, it's tails. Okay, okay, it's heads.

Speaker 1: 9:39

If two out of the three are tails, it's tails. Okay, okay, we got it. So two up tomorrow. Get to your favourite venue in Sydney Generally everywhere is doing it between 11 and 6, by the sounds of it. Have some great food, have some drinks, have a punt. Hats off to our and respect to the anzacs, um, so, uh, so you, you know I won't see you in the morning, xanth, but um, nice thing to do it really is.

Speaker 2: 10:11

Get out there, make the most of the day. I mean enjoy your public holiday, but at the yeah, do what you can to pay your respects to the history behind it all.

Speaker 1: 10:23

And support your local.

Speaker 2: 10:26

Agreed big time.

Speaker 1: 10:28

Stan, have a great day. Everyone have a great Anzac Day and respect to our Anzacs.

Speaker 2: 10:35

Stay safe, stay healthy and we'll see you nice and hungover on Friday. Thank you, Stay safe, stay healthy and we'll see you nice and hungover on Friday.