The classic Melbourne TV ads from the ‘70s and ‘80s

You just couldn't turn the telly on in the 1970s and 1980s without running into Tuckerbag,  Coxy and Lucky Phil. 

Hungry? You know what to do.

Life  in Melbourne in the 1970s and 1980s was a blast, if these classic local television advertisements are any guide.

It’s clear that even in those days, Melbourne had the greatest lifestyle in Australia.

Everything we ever wanted or needed was right at our fingertips.

All we needed to do was follow the bouncing ball of memorable commercials like these, made right here in Melbourne.

Don’t worry Wobbie’s World features down below..

You could plan an entire Saturday full of activities just using Melbourne-made TV advertisements for ideas.

Nothing in life was free, but there was no need to worry about all the pennies you were about to spend on your Melbourne adventure as long as the State Bank was keeping an eye on your finances.

When it came time to hit the road, but how were you planning to get around? Muso and TV presenter Geoff Cox and the team at Southern Motors had you covered. Take it away, Coxy.

If driving wasn’t your thing, The Met could get you from point A to point B with a minimum of fuss and a catchy song in your heart.

First up, it’s time to pick up the weekly grocery shopping. You could have shopped Safeway, or Woolworths, or Coles New World, or Jewel Food Barn, or SSW, or Franklins No Frills, or Foodland, but a paper bag with a cheery face and an eye for a bargain made Tuckerbag the obvious choice.

What Tucker the Tuckerbag lacked in production values, he made up for with showmanship, as this collection of some of his best work shows.

Why not check out some appliances while you’re in the mood for shopping mood. Back then, we had all the time in the world to do things like this on a Saturday.

The shops didn’t close until 1pm! There were plenty of options when it came to buying whitegoods and electrical appliances, but we all know there was one tin shed cowboy in Melbourne that had the market corralled, roped and branded: Stan Cash.

If your lounge suite or dining setting was starting to look daggy, the late Bruce Mansfield’s reassuring voice steered you straight down to Dandenong and the 15 acres of fake brass and velour at Saba Furniture. With free delivery to three states (count them!) and Dave and Mabel the cockatoos as drawcards, Saba was a big adventure all on its own.

Phew! Is it lunchtime already? How does a heaping helping of Four ‘N’ Twenty sound? Hot stuff!

You could follow up your pie or sausage roll with a Hoadley’s Kit Kat, made just up Sydney Road in Campbellfield and, in this case, scoffed down by two workers ogling female athletes at Olympic Park.

After lunch, it was time for some fun. The Gold Coast had Dreamworld and Sea World. Sydney has Australia’s Wonderland. But Melbourne had the king of family-oriented theme parks, Wobbie’s World.

But while outdoors, it was always a good idea to keep Sid the Seagull’s sage sun advice in mind.

After Wobbie’s World, it was time to head back home and spruce up for dinner. Before that, though, you needed to care of a little business and water the garden. Thankfully, Wally was there to show us how not to do it.

While you were working, it was great to get the kids out from under foot. You could send them for a bike ride, but as Molly Meldrum demonstrated, never without a Stackhat.

Now, we all like going out and having a good time, but as Lucky Phil reminded us, there were limits.