The Vineyard
–Bar-Restaurant–
St Kilda Without The Vineyard As-We-Know-It Makes Melbourne Bitter — an open letter
Nestled at the edge of O’Donnell Gardens, The Vineyard, like Luna Park and The Palais, is a St Kilda landmark, the site of many legendary St Kilda nights and loved by many St Kilda locals —from long-standing residents to the more recently transplanted, young bloods and old-timers, the famous, the notorious and the anonymous. Its size, style and service is of human scale. It’s simple, affordable, safe and welcomes all: from-every-walk-of-life. It has many personalities and ventures into many of its other possibilities, adapting its flavour to the diversity of people who visit or frequent the place, daytime or nighttime, for the last 20+ years.
So why is there such a push to change the current configuration of the place, which is now the only remaining affective link of St Kilda to “back in the day,” and more particularly to the time when the structure is said to have been a boat builder’s shed before being converted into a tea house that–singlehandedly–is giving the word “village” in Acland Street Village a certain coherence if not legitimacy?
The look and feel of a place has always been THE key aspect of any hospitality venue’s appeal to the customers it serves. I heard it said that the ‘community’ around the area is at odds with the place because it’s a dive bar that attracts a certain type of crowd, and that Council deems it isn’t delivering to the agreed upgrades to facilities and services, or contributing enough revenues into local government coffers. It seems, also, that The Vineyard is the local scapegoat for anti-social behaviour on our streets.
I’m curious to know what the true drivers are behind the ‘campaign’ to rid St Kilda of its last dark heart.
Connections of people in proximity make a community—people who share similar experiences and weave shared stories; people who walk the same streets, chat in street corners and breathe the same air—not the faceless corporate entities operating and competing for greater profits; not the capital injections from private equity investors wanting to spruik portfolios; not a local government that serves the interests of those corporations and investors; not a local government that doesn’t act in good faith or in the best interests of the very people they are deemed to serve, people from every walk of life, people who live or work or play or stay in the neighbourhoods of the City of Port Phillip.
Council cannot allow global capital to takeover and outstrip local economies. Capital is mobile, and capital flows can be highly volatile. Locals are not. Financial markets are fickle. We are not. We are here to stay, to live, to learn, to work, to love, to play, to gather and together create a community that is genuinely of the people for the people. People first before profits and politics. People first before profits from politics. And by people I mean including rough-sleepers.
Gerome Villarete, 15 October 2024
The photo above was taken on Saturday 12 October 2024 at 2.07am at…
Not at The Espy, not The Prince, not The Fifth, not The Cross, not The Bowlo, not The Village Belle, not Freddie’s, not George Lane, not Chronicles, not The Newmarket (now closed), not Milk The Cow (now closed), not Fitzrovia (now closed), not Bunny (now closed), not Veludo (long closed), not The Saint/Saint George (still open?), not Tolarno (still closed?), not 29th Apartment, not Loud Mouth, not Dog’s Bar, not Lost On Barkly but at…
The Vineyard.
The Vineyard is indeed “the last dark heart of St Kilda,” having kept its lights on every single day and night of the year to keep a local nocturnal community safe if not sane to the wee hours. Open daily until 3am.
“The Vineyard in St Kilda has a long history. It was originally built as a tea house [Tea House?] in the early 20th century and has been in its current form as a restaurant and a live music venue since the 1990s. The City of Port Phillip is the landlord for The Vineyard site.”—CoPP Online
The Beaconsfield HOTEL
–Public Bar–
From the Village Belle to the Bathers Pavilion via the Espy and the Prince: The Beaconsfield, after 20 years of silence, is about to wake up to a field of PAG-owned AVC venues.
“Australian Venue Co. (AVC), formerly Dixon Hospitality Group, is a hospitality company in Australia that owns and operates over 200 venues across the country.
In 2017, KKR purchased an 80% stake in the Dixon Hospitality Group. The company’s portfolio initially consisted of five venues in Melbourne, but has expanded to over 200 venues across Australia and New Zealand. In March 2019, Coles Group and Australian Venue Co. established a joint venture (Queensland Venue Co) where AVC would take over operations of the Coles’ Spirit Hotels and receive its profits while Coles would run the group’s liquor stores and receive its profits. Coles received $200 million from AVC as part of the deal.
In August 2023, PAG agreed terms to purchase KKR’s controlling shareholding for $1.4 billion.
In December 2024, the company announced a ban on Australia Day celebrations in 2025 due to the holiday causing “sadness for some members of our community”. The decision was subsequently reversed following public criticism.”—Wikipedia
The Beaconsfield Hotel: QUIET STILL
What future for West St Kilda’s old local?
The two-storey 1880’s Italianate by architect William Pitt is classified Significant heritage. Once West St Kilda’s watering hole, it’s been dry since Christmas Eve 2004
West Beach Pavilion
–Cafe-Bar-Restaurant–
[Formerly West Beach Bathers Pavilion]
