A lot of us (of a certain age at least) will have fond memories of the local milk bar of our childhood. In the last couple of decades, however, milk bars have become a thing of the past, and now when you spot one it is a relic rather than the norm. Often we fail to really notice these everyday places until they have all but disappeared.

Luckily for us, photographer Christopher van der Craats set about photographing every local milk bar he could find around Melbourne’s suburbs over a period ranging from the late 1970s to mid 1980s.

In a statement he provided accompanying his donation in 2019, Van der Craats says “The Milk Bar is a significant cultural aspect of suburban culture before supermarkets and convenience stores. In the period between when they were taken and now they have disappeared almost entirely”. These images have recently been digitised and can now be viewed online via the Library’s catalogue.

The first Australian milk bar was opened in Sydney in 1932 by Greek immigrant Mick Adams (a.k.a. Joachim Tavlarides).¹ Milk bars proliferated all over the country between the 1930s-1970s before they were challenged by larger supermarkets and franchised convenience stores.²

Looking over this collection of photographs brought back so many memories – of now defunct treats and newspapers (Mello Yello, The Sun); of those Peter’s ice cream cone lights (it was rare to see one intact!); and of the ubiquity of cigarette advertising.

As well as providing a handy spot to pick up the paper and your milk, milk bars also formed the heart of many communities. They were often owned and run by first generation migrant families and were important cultural hubs. They served a significant social function, helping to combat social isolation amongst some of the more vulnerable sectors of our communities.³ Milk bar photographer and enthusiast Eamon Donnelly, in his book Milk Bars states:

These sweet and colourful family run institutions helped shape our suburban landscape, supported our neighbourhoods and contributed to our diverse culture.⁴

Please visit our catalogue to find more of Christopher van der Craats’ recently digitised images. Perhaps you will recognize your local milk bar amongst the images. If you do, let us know!

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More to explore

Want to see more photos and learn about the history of milk bars in Australia? The following items may be of interest to you:

Milk bars book by Eamon Donnelly

Milkbar : a photographic archive vol. 1 by Eamon Donnelly

Greek cafés and milk bars of Australia by Effy Alexakis and Leonard Janiszewski

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References

1. Alexakis, E & Janiszewski, L, 2016, Greek cafes and milk bars of Australia, Halstead Press, Braddon, A.C.T.
2. Donnelly, E, 2018, The milk bars book, Eamon Donnelly, Melbourne
3. Horne, S, 1984, A study of milk bars and corner shops in Melbourne: shopping as a social activity, Dept. of Social Studies, University of Melbourne
4. Donnelly, E, 2018, The milk bars book, Eamon Donnelly, Melbourne, p 9