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Greek café culture in Australia is part of the shared history of Greece and Australia. For unskilled penniless Greek migrants, it was a pathway to success in which they created community hubs where Australians socialised. Greek cafés are also a singularly Australian phenomenon: the success of Arthur Comino’s fish shop in
Greek café culture in Australia is part of the shared history of Greece and Australia. For unskilled penniless Greek migrants, it was a pathway to success in which they created community hubs where Australians socialised. Greek cafés are also a singularly Australian phenomenon: the success of Arthur Comino’s fish shop in Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
gave rise to a chain migration that saw hundreds of Greek migrants open oyster saloons across the country by 1900. Adapting to market changes and food trends, Greek proprietors went on to run fish shops, fruit shops, ice cream parlours, sundae shops, milk bars, snack bars, confectioneries, and cafés that dotted the Australian landscape for much of the twentieth century.
Almost every town in Queensland
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, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
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, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, New South Wales
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, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
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, and country Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
had a Greek café, and as many as ten operated in larger towns like Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
and Toowoomba
Toowoomba ( , nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar') is a city in the Toowoomba Region of the Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia. It is west of Queensland's capital city Brisbane by road. The urban population of Toowoomba as of the 2021 C ...
during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s—the heyday of the Greek café. Cafés were routinely open from 7am to midnight seven days a week, meals were cheap, portions were generous, and the menu was mostly the same countrywide. They have been described as the McDonalds of their time.
The success of the Greek café is evident in the size of some establishments, the length of time some shops operated, the enterprise and resilience demonstrated by expansion and diversification, and the extent to which subsequent generations prospered in the adopted homeland of their parents and grandparents. This occurred despite the Anglophile Australia of the first half of the century. While names like the Paragon Café suggested proprietors’ origins, and names like Niagara Café exploited the popularity of American culture, others—the Regal Café, the Australia Café, etc.—were an attempt to align businesses with Australian sentiments. Greek food was not on the menu for the same reason.
Heritage listings
A number of Greek cafes are heritage-listed: * Roxy Theatre and Peters Greek Cafe Complex inBingara
Bingara (Aboriginal for 'creek') is a small town on the Gwydir River in Murchison County in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Bingara is currently the administrative centre for the Gwydir Shire that was created in 2003. The ...
, New South Wales
* Paragon Cafe in Katoomba, New South Wales
* Comino's Cafe in Redcliffe, Queensland
See also
*Greek cafes in Queensland
Greek cafés were a significant cultural phenomenon in the history of Queensland, Australia, arising from a chain migration from Greece to Australia.
Almost every town in Queensland had a Greek café, and as many as ten operated in larger towns ...
* Coffee in Greece
References
Attribution
{{SLQ-CC-BY, url=http://blogs.slq.qld.gov.au/jol/2016/10/24/pathway-to-success-the-greek-cafe/, title=Pathway to success: The Greek Café, date=24 October 2016, author(s)=Toni Risson, accessdate=10 January 2020 Coffeehouses and cafés in Australia Greek-Australian culture Coffee culture in Australia