IT might have been the tail end of the baby boom but Melbourne was bursting with life in the 1960s and '70s.
Create a free account to read this article
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After the somewhat staid postwar decade, it was a city in hot pursuit of the new and the modern. Many were excited, others alarmed.
A fabulous new photographic history by Chris Macheras looks back on it all.
Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960-1990 is a fascinating glimpse of a time when historic buildings were demolished and streetscapes altered as the city marched to a faster beat.
Featuring dozens of colour and black-and-white photos, it shows change was everywhere. Fashion, sport, architecture, technology, music - all was in flux.
Change was often most apparent at suburban shopping centres, which were popping up all over the city.
Typical for the time, the centres often reflected American influence. Early in the book is a photo of Chadstone Shopping Centre, opened by Myer in 1960. Designed by a US firm, it has had several do-overs since.
Also in the book is Boronia Shopping Town, "somewhat of a time capsule, remaining relatively unchanged for decades".
Shopping styles also changed, some only for a while. At Coles New World in Greensborough, for example, every checkout had its own packer. It's not clear why the idea didn't stick.
Flash new hotels also fitted the zeitgeist. The Southern Cross, opened in 1962 and featured in the book, was seen as ultra-luxe, and attracted guests like the Beatles, July Garland and Marlene Dietrich.
Some horrors were averted. The book shows a 1974 model for a redeveloped Flinders Street Station, with the facade replaced by a silver and tinted-glass structure topped by two high-rise towers.
As large-scale migration took off, the city's vibrant and diverse culture began to emerge.
European ways were increasingly embraced. Al fresco dining became a common sight in places like Collins Street. Bright, stylish cafes like the Capri in Footscray helped make coffee cool. The Chung Wah Cafe in Heffernan Lane, which dates back to 1894, was (and remains) a favourite fixture.
Footy crowds were at their peak. There's a great image from the 1970 VFL grand final, where 121,696 fans turned up to watch Carlton and Collingwood do battle - a record that still stands.
Wobbies World amusement park in Nunawading was still a thing for children and their long-suffering parents.
Pop music continued its dizzy rise. The Sunbury Pop Festival made its first appearance in 1972, with acts like Deep Purple, Billy Thorpe, Skyhooks and the then unknown Queen, led by an out-there Freddy Mercury.
As the photo in the book shows, the sun-drenched paddock of Duncan's Farm was a very different scene to the rain and mud of Woodstock, on which it was modelled.
There are some familiar faces, too, in the book. The most touching is a photo of a Olivia Newtown-John circa 1969, radiating love for her young nieces and nephew.
It's a wonderful trip back to the way we were.
Old Vintage Melbourne, 1960-90, Chris Macheras (Scribe), RRP $55
