Tilley's Devine Café Gallery is a well-known café in the suburb of
Lyneham in
Canberra, Australia. It was named after
Matilda 'Tilly' Devine, an English Australian gangster and madame from Sydney.
When the café first opened in 1984, it was intended as a women's space, with men allowed entry only when accompanied by women. Popular with lesbian women, it quickly became an icon of Canberra's
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
scene. Attempts to restrict or limit entry of men brought challenges, most notably by a group of cadets from the
Royal Military College, Duntroon
lit: Learning promotes strength
, established =
, type = Military college
, chancellor =
, head_label = Commandant
, head = Brigadier Ana Duncan
, principal =
, city = Campbell
, state ...
who attempted to force their way in, instigating a brawl. The policy was maintained for two years.
Tilley's originally had seating for 60, but subsequently expanded five times, and now has large indoor and outdoor eating areas. It was once a popular space for night time concerts by local musicians, hosting names such as Wayne Kelly,
Mia Dyson
Mia Celeste Dyson (born 1981) is an Australian singer, songwriter and guitarist. She has released six studio albums. Her second, ''Parking Lots'', won the ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2005. Since 2013, D ...
,
Frente!
Frente! (or Frente) were an Australian folk- pop and indie pop group which originally formed in 1989. The original line-up consisted of Simon Austin on guitar and backing vocals, Angie Hart on lead vocals, Tim O'Connor on bass guitar (later r ...
, and
Clare Bowditch
Clare Bowditch (born 1975) is an Australian musician, actress, radio presenter and business entrepreneur.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2006, Bowditch won the ARIA Award for Best Female Artist and was nominated for a Logie Award for her work on ...
. In 2005 concerts were scaled back in order to expand the more financially viable restaurant and café. According to ACT historian Roslyn Russell, it was the first licensed outdoor venue in Australia, and the first Australian bar to ban
smoking indoors.
References
Restaurants in Canberra
Buildings and structures in Canberra
LGBT culture in Australia
Coffeehouses and cafés in Australia
{{canberra-stub