City of Darebin Heritage Study Volume 1 Draft Thematic

VOLUME 2: THEMATIC ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORYFigure 36Circle Theatre, Plenty Road1985[DHE, ID 424]Café’s and restaurantsCafés and restaurants were rare in Darebin in the 1930s and 40s, apart from hotel diningrooms. In 1934, Jean James commenced the Oakhill Tea Rooms in Plenty Road at the EastPreston tram terminus and the end of the suburban part of Darebin. She served sandwichesand Devonshire teas and made cream ice blocks, which were very popular. She sold thebusiness but returned a few years later. During the Second World War, Jean made it into a‘real restaurant with grills and all that type of food’:This was mainly for the Air Force training depot out at Larundel. Mine was the only eatingplace north, south, east, and west of the services. They used to come from Watsonia [Armybarracks] to me, and also from the Heidelberg Hospital. It was a little bit hard at times becausethey’d get drink in them, and they’d fight, because the Army hated the Air Force and vice versa.… I used to have a lot of dealings with soldiers from the First World War that were out at theRepatriation Hospital. They used to come in and some of them were very sad. …I used to open at six o’clock in the morning and close at approximately twelve o’clock at night.During the summer I was known to sometimes not close at all because there used to be traffic onthe road all the time, with people bringing goods into the marketJean believed she was one of the first to have an espresso machine, after Pellegrini’s in BourkeStreet and a café in St Kilda, which ‘drew a lot of customers’ (Jones 1994:57-9).The post-Second World War era saw the opening of new cafes, restaurants and social clubs,which catered to particular migrant groups.HeritageSome examples of places relating to Developing Darebin’s economies are:Utilising natural resourcesFarmhouses and outbuildings – examples include Oakhill stables, 12 Oakhill Avenue, Preston(within HO precinct), the stables, farm buildings, homestead at Bundoora Park (HO74),bluestone farmhouse, 339 Plenty Road, Preston (HO73), Bransgroves, 172 Albert Street,Preston, the former Bartlett 1850s cottage, 66 Spring Street, Preston, Houses at 685, 687 &689 Gilbert Road associated with small farms that predated later subdivision, Taunton Avenue,named after the Bartlett family’s place of origin. 14Sites of former brickworks or quarries such as All Nations Park and Ray Bramham Gardens14 Paul Michel to provide examples of farm houses in Reservoir.61