Nine things you’d know if you grew up around Doncaster

IF you know about Shoppo, the circle and spent most of your summers at Aquarena, there’s a pretty good chance you grew up in and around this suburb.

Before the facelift: Westfield Shoppingtown in 1981.

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IF you know about Shoppo, the circle and spent most of your summers at Aquarena there’s a pretty good chance you grew up in and around Doncaster.

Despite the revamp, you still call Westfield Doncaster ‘Shoppo’.

Dating back to the days when it was called Doncaster Shoppingtown, the locals still call this bustling shopping mecca by it’s former nickname.

It doesn’t seem to hold the elegance associated with the revamp, but old habits are hard to change.

GROW UP IN DONCASTER? TELL US ABOUT IT BELOW.

You remember the old “circle” at Shoppo where kids used to hang after school while waiting for a bus.

Sadly the circle was demolished during the revamp of the shopping centre.

It was basically a paved area bordered with metal seats near the bus terminal so people could sit and wait there. But after school it would be taken over by school kids, who would meet there to socialise.

Westfield Doncaster is these days without the ‘circle’.

You understand the underlying tensions between those who attended Doncaster Secondary College and East Doncaster Secondary College.

Muck up day was the absolute worst for those kids who had to wait for a bus — seniors from opposing schools would target the unsuspecting often throwing eggs and cold noodles at them. But the competitiveness went further than that.

Every district school sports day when one school beat the other there would be an announcement over the loud speaker followed by cheers from the whole school.

You remember when Forest Hill had the oldest and cheapest cinemas in town.

Except for the TWO cinemas at Shoppo (yes, there were only two back in the day) that never seemed to show the movies you wanted to see. You could always get a bus there — but they never seemed to have one that would take you home.

Spending all summer long at Aquarena.

You didn’t go to the pool to get a tan, but because entry for the whole day only cost $2.

Bargain-priced day out. Picture: Michelle Kelcey

Knowing you don’t have to travel into Chinatown in the city to get good dumplings.

Why would you venture the whole 20 minutes into the city (by car, if you had your licence) or longer by bus when Box Hill is right down the road?

Knowing the bus timetable back to front.

No need to clog your mind with random train information — because put simply, the only option was to take the bus.

Coffee catch ups at Carluccis.

Broke students need somewhere to go, and a coffee at this Templestowe cafe was the perfect excuse to get out of the house, stay up late and catch up with friends for a tiny price.

BBQ’s and bike rides at Ruffey Lake Park.

This former quarry was turned into a beautiful park space with heaps of grasslands, walking trails and bike paths — plus a pretty awesome playground area.

Ruffey Lake Park. Picture: Christopher Chan