Eltham Barrel, Knox Irish pub: Melbourne venues we used to love

From dinner at the Eltham Barrel to having a drink at the Irish, check out these Melbourne landmarks that are gone but not forgotten.

Remember having dinner in the Eltham Barrel or attending a wedding at Kenloch in the Dandenongs?

What about dancing in the Flinders St Ballroom or having a drink at the Irish in Knox?

Check out some of the Melbourne venues gone but not forgotten.

ELTHAM BARREL

The Eltham Barrel was a popular spot for dinner.

Locals were devastated when the Eltham icon burnt down in 1989.

The restaurant and architectural oddity was modelled on a similar building in Austria and was designed by Melbourne architect Jack Tipping.

It was built in 1968 at a cost of $250,000 and held 300 people.

But the good times came to an end when a fire tore through the site.

The Herald Sun reported a fireman was injured battling the blaze at the restaurant in Main Rd. The three-storey restaurant was not open at the time.

On the Whittlesea Leader Facebook page, readers had fond memories of the restaurant.

“It was an awesome place, spent many Christmas Days there,” Kerry O’Brien said, while

Jenny Adams said: “The smorgasbord was amazing – so much food.”

FLINDERS STREET BALLROOM

Updated photo of the Flinders Street Ballroom waiting to be restored, taken in 2014. Picture: David Caird.

The old ballroom used to play host to dances in its glory years, before falling into decay. The Herald Sun reported last year a business case is being developed to fix the room, and other decaying areas at the station, to open them up to possible public spaces and commercial tenants.

KENLOCH ESTATE

Kenloch Receptions, Main Rd, Olinda. – Gracious Old Home In The Dandenongs. Rose Stereograph Co, photographer, courtesy State Library Victoria.

Countless Melburnians would remember attending a wedding at Kenloch Estate in Olinda, and navigating the windy hills roads on the way home. Now a private property, the 100-year-old estate sold for more than $5 million in 2017.

DRACULA’S MELBOURNE

The coffin closed for the final time at the Victoria St theatre restaurant in 2017, after 37 years of operation.

Run by Newman Entertainment International, a company run by the children of founders Tikki and John Newman, the “difficult decision” to close was made after some lean years.

The restaurant has now reopened an opera-themed Chinese hot pot eatery.

THE PALACE

Music lovers were shattered to lose the iconic entertainment venue.

Music lovers were devastated in 2016 when news broke the century-old The Palace in Bourke St, previously known as the Metro nightclub, would be torn down to make way for a hotel development.

THE SWAGMAN

The exterior of the Swagman restaurant in Ferntree Gully.

No list like this is complete with mention of this beloved Melbourne institution. Many still have fond memories of the smorgasbord restaurant in Ferntree Gully, which hosted cabaret shows. It sadly burnt down in 1991 after 20 years of good times.

GREYHOUND HOTEL

The Greyhound before it was demolished. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

One of many beloved St Kilda venues sadly no longer here, the historic gay venue closed in 2017, with the community devastated by the loss of the 164-year-old institution.

After then Planning Minister Richard Wynne rejected Port Phillip Council’s bid to secure heritage status for the Brighton Rd building, it was eventually reduced to rubble to make way for a development.

FLINDERS ST STATION CAFETERIA

Shirley Gabler and Shirley Pepper at the Flinders St Station cafeteria in 1985. Picture: Louise Graham

The station’s cafeteria sadly closed in the 1980s after struggling to make ends meet, despite a band of loyal patrons.

THE IRISH

The Irish Knox Ozone closing: Punters packed the dancefloor.

Punters across the eastern suburbs were devastated when the beloved Knox venue, known as the ‘The Rish’ closed in 2020. Westfield Knox centre manager Kristian Nicholls said the Seamus O’Toole’s Irish Pub had been a much-loved institution at the Ozone precinct for the past 18 years.

HOYTS LYCEUM

Hoyts Lyceum at the corner of City Rd and Sturt St South Melbourne.

The Hoyts Lyceum picture theatre, at the corner of City Rd and Sturt St, was demolished in 1923 when the site became home to the YMCA building (also demolished).

CARIBBEAN GARDENS AND MARKET

The lake at Caribbean Gardens and Market.

Thousands of Melburnians were sad to see the much-loved Scoresby market and gardens close in 2020 after 55 years in operation, due to the impacts of COVID.

The community is pushing for the lake, garden and playgrounds to reopen to the public.