Used to be a take away van parked at the back of the former carpark that backed onto Cooyong Street. Lots of dramas there over the years, I’m sure someone else will enlighten on those

Yep, used to be a take away destination on a drunken night for many a poor soul…. the horror the next day was something terrible.

From memory it was in a few different car parks in the Civic area over the years.

This has got me remembering the various late night food stops that used to be around in Civic.

Used to be a Mexican ? van at the service station that used to be in Civic (corner of Bunda and Mort). Tasted great on the night but the farts the next day where WMD’s.

Anyone remember the name of the van that was in Braddon all the taxi drivers used to go ? They did really great hamburgers and hotdogs.

Doghouse, moved from Caltex to the independent servo near civic pub, when that servo was shut down, the doghouse could not renew its lease.

Doghouse !

How could I forget such a name.

It used to be a Vietnamese take away at one stage. This was when it was parked across the street, from St Mary’s Church in Braddon.

Gee, a bus offering Vietnamese takeaway operating at 2 or 3AM in Canberra. I wonder why it went broke?

ah the doghouse…. soooo many drunken memories there. best chips n gravy ever!!!!

It used to be an Asian takeaway specialising to the late night crowd. Unfortunately the proprietor was severely bashed by one of his patrons a few years back. I can’t recall if he died or was just disabled.

F430 said :

ah the doghouse…. soooo many drunken memories there. best chips n gravy ever!!!!

Doghouse special with bacon, chips and gravy and a coke.

Mainstay of many a night shift

OK guys, this is a specific discussion of this van.

It’s been in Civic for at least 25 years. It first appeared at the back of the old MMI building next to the old Travelodge, now James Court.

At one stage it was near the old youth centre in civic and was apparently full of squatters.

johnboy said :

OK guys, this is a specific discussion of this van.

looks like a bus to me. But Johnboy doesn’t like being disagreed with so its now a van.

The bloke who used to run it lost an eye in a fight many years ago.

OK guys, this is a specific discussion of this van.

JB at the risk of moderation, I appreciate that you are the editor, but I would not really consider it off topic that far if at all – The bus was identified as a late night eatery, and others (Including myself) chose to discuss other late night eateries in the area, wholly related to OP if you ask me (Which I understand you were not).

The bloke who used to run it lost an eye in a fight many years ago.
If I remember correctly, he was permanently disabled, and his son (who went to my school) was pretty badly hurt as well. It was during Summernats, and mysteriously never made the TV news or the papers, despite them not catching the culprits.

That is NOT the Dog House. It’s Mandalay. The Dog House was at Caltex and was a white more modern caravan.

Mandalay used to be in a Civic car park but moved up there. I’ve seen it open a couple of times but not recently. It’s a waste of space and should be treated as an abandoned vehicle. It used to serve some kind of international delicacy.

If memory serves, when it was at the back of the the Travel Dodge, before it became James Court, it was a different colour and known as Mandalay George’s after the elderly if not ancient (well at least that is how he looked) George, who I believe had escaped one the joyous Burmese governments. Sold sort of dumbed down Burmese take on traditional asian, fried rice dishes, dim sim and the like..

Often interesting occasionally not so. Never felt it made me sick, but I have been accused of iron guts.

Legend has it, he used to drive it almost fully prepped from some other location, but that was early 80′s.

The stories about the violence and taken over by his son are apparently true, well as far as reports in the Canberra Times of a decade or so ago are.

The question is, why does the ACT Government allow it to continue to sit there getting more and more derelict, and permanently using several valuable parking spaces?

I have wondered about that.

phototext said :

Used to be a Mexican ? van at the service station that used to be in Civic (corner of Bunda and Mort). Tasted great on the night but the farts the next day where WMD’s.

Tampico Hutte. I think it was green, and lived on a F-series Ford ute. I was a great fan of Dolly’s, within the staggering path between the Workies and Toad. And there was that hot doggery the others have discussed.

Mandalay used to be a lot closer in to Civic but I cannot remember where it was. The food was always exciting… would one survive? I can’t remember when it moved to Haig Park but the owner got into a fight with some guys one night and was either bashed to death, or went pretty close. I’m not sure why it stays there, I don’t think it’s operated in many years.

There’s probably some bad flippin’ motherflippin’ ghost in there ….

The bus, an AEC, is there as a tribute to the ineptitude of the successive local governments who have no idea what to do with it. As mentioned earlier it doesn’t even have a parking ticket! I can get a ticket in suburban Barton on a Friday evening…these dudes can abandon a double decker bus for 25 years … nada.

Keep up the good work minister.

Fine late night eateries in Canberra:

Dolly’s – a caravan near Toad Hall
Tampico Hut = Mexican food on a Ford F250
Jillys HotDogs = Same site as above ie the Mobil on the corner of Bunda and Mort. (Where Subway is now)
And the Doghouse. First known to me at the BP in Braddon. Also used to trade at Regatta Point carpark during daylight hours. Moved to the Caltex and eventually told to leave the site by the oil company. Then, this is my favourite bit, couldn’t get a site anywhere courtesy of Planning. Unlike Chicken George who had his bus moved at public expense to its current site.

Gotta love this town….

Amen .,…… and if i remember correctly it was the Carnell Government too…

Covert AFP anti terrorism/ public surveillance HQ. (Oer something like that)

Well, at least that’s what some fat bearded dude with a pony tail once told me …

(Seriously…)

Hi

Thanks everyone for the insights…

Appreciate the large response and entertaining banter.

DL

I vaguely remember reading that whoever now owns the bus was allowed to park it in its current location as compensation for being kicked out of the space they owned(?) in the car park next to Cooyong Street – hence the lack of tickets and power supply. I’m not sure if this was a Canberra Times-endorsed urban myth or just a plain urban myth though.

Dolly’s is now in Mawson.. It spent a while in Fyshwick after it moved away from near the ANU.

The big yellow bus, Mandalay, used to be parked closer to Civic, not far from where the new buildings are now, and close to the old youth centre.

Thumper said :

Covert AFP anti terrorism/ public surveillance HQ. (Oer something like that)

Well, at least that’s what some fat bearded dude with a pony tail once told me …

(Seriously…)

I have seen it open, and I saw them shooting some kind of movie at it in the last couple of years too. It’s situated right at the spot where all the hoons used to perform their burnouts in Braddon at the intersection… I can always add some conspiracy theories

Go on, Adza! Do it, do it!

There’s nothing like a good conspiracy theory. It’s like telling ghost stories at a sleepover! I’ve seen the Brady Bunch a time or two ….