Drive-in Service Station

 

During the inter-war period, a rise of car ownership led to the need for service stations throughout the suburbs of Melbourne. The Petroleum Act of 1912 stipulated that retailers have special facilities for storing over 216 litres of fuel. In 1915 pumps connected to storage tanks were introduced, which led to kerbside pumps by the early 1920s.
   

The drive-in service station at 802 High Street Thornbury opened in 1920 as Tadich and Beck’s Junction Garage. The ‘drive-in’ service stations did not appear until the late 1920s so it is possible that the building had been a kerbside structure before it was modified. The Teunion brothers took over in 1950 and still occupied the business in 1980. Ampol took over the service station. By 2016 it became a vintage shop under the name Clavel. This shop specialized in 20th Century furniture. In April 2018 it was modified to become the Thornbury Picture House that shows contemporary and vintage films with a bar operating in the original drive-in service area.
     

The building has maintained Art Deco features such as pressed metal under the verandah on the Pender Street side and the stepped parapet roof design. It is the only surviving example of an inter-war period drive-in service station within Darebin. 

 

Context Pty Ltd (2012) City of Darebin Heritage Study: Historic heritage places, p. 848-853

L. H. Tadich’s Motor Garage (1925 May 9). Northcote Leader (Northcote, Vic. : 1882 - ), p. 1.

Sands and McDougall’s Melbourne and Suburban Directory 1864- 1974. [Microfiche]. (1974). Melbourne, Australia: Sands & McDougall.

Victorian Heritage Database (n.d.). Drive-In Service Station. Retrieved 26 July, 2018, from http://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/26685