Former Buffalo restaurant at Glenelg – empty since 2013 – is gone for good
It stood as a restaurant for decades and was more recently in line for redevelopment – but the famous replica HMS Buffalo at Glenelg has met its maker. See how the demolition progressed.
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The famous Buffalo replica that sat upon the banks of the Patawalonga River for decades is no more.
Demolition of the former restaurant was quickly completed on Wednesday – the remains of the boat turned into a pile of wooden rubble.
Passersby snapped photos the night before as only the stern stood as a reminder of the once bustling dining spot, which last operated as a restaurant in 2013.
The replica HMS Buffalo was meant to have been demolished in February but instead began a month later with the removal of its masts.
Asbestos was then discovered on the boat, further delaying its destruction. Holdfast Bay Council has allocated money to remediate the site of the boat – which was being leased from the council – and will go to public consultation on other uses for the area.
The Buffalo was originally set for demolition in 2014, before Troy DeYoung bought it from Richard Finlayson for just $1.
He then announced a $1 million upgrade, approved in 2017, which was to involve a redevelopment of the inside and outside of the restaurant. But Holdfast Bay in January said the project would not go ahead due to the costs involved.
The original HMS Buffalo brought the first settlers to Glenelg in 1836 but was destroyed in a shipwreck four years later.
