Dinnie Hayes

Dinnie Hayes was one of the characters of Northcote during the 1870s. Son of popular publican Denis Hayes of the Shannon Hotel (later Commercial Hotel), Dinnie Hayes operated a cab service from Melbourne to Northcote. He used an Albert cab, an carriage which had its seats arranged back to back. Always dressed in corduroy trousers and boots, Dinnie would stop the cab whenever he saw a stray brick on the road to pick it up. With all the brick carts moving towards the city from the Northcote Brickworks, this meant frequent stops. Dinnie would use the bricks to build outhouses on his property. The route took passengers from Northcote to the corner of Swanston and Lonsdale Street, via Brunswick Street. He charged sixpence each way, and would serenade passengers with his bugle playing during the trip.

Swift, William George(1928). The history of Northcote: From its First Settlement to a City. Northcote (Vic.):Leader Publishing.