The only pubs in Sydney CBD I've been to are the Lord Nelson and some other pub nearby, the Australian Heritage I think.
Me and and my first BF were together at the time and I remember his friend sneaking out a full schooner under his jacket. We ended up at Jacksons On George. It was a pretty ordinary night lol.
Yes, every pub in country Australia looks EXACTLY like that one in Narrabri. You'd be hard pressed to find one with the original decor though. Most have been 'revamped' inside to look a bit bland and contemporary (usually when new owners take over). I can understand why they do it though, especially if the pub had a prior reputation of being seedy or rough.
Funnily enough we have no really old pubs left in my town, the oldest was built in the art deco era.