What's with that Yellow double decker bus in Braddon - Mandala???

seekay said :

I have wondered what the story of the Mandalay bus was for years. It’s rather sad. Burmese food it good, too.

Where are the other late night food caravans and how late are they open to? The only one I know is the hamburger etc van out in the carpark at Woden but understand that there’s another in the wilds of Gunghalin.

The G-Spot in Gungahlin. It’s been around for about 7 years as far as I know so it’s not quite the nostalgic story that a number of these vans are. The owner tells me that their inconvenient hours are due to the golf club (whom rent them carpark space) avoiding competition with their own bistro. I can’t remember the hours but I can guarantee they’re open on a Friday/Saturday night.

That woolies had a bistro upstairs too – Had many a meal there with my mum, and indeed at the double decker bus Granny mentioned in the alleyway between buildings…

Ahh nostalgia

Wow, I remember that Woolies now that I have seen that picture.

That’s so cool that you found a photo of it, Dr Evil! It’s kind of hard to tell because the library picture is from the front and the Google one is shot from the rear of the bus.

I have always wondered if the Yellow Mandalay bus was the old Dubbl Dekka Cafe that used to be in Civic in the early 1970’s. My Nan used to take me there for iced coffee.

Amazing how may people spell “toeing” as towing”. A common mistake.

Janeycomelately, I may have missed the bit where I said all Christians were interested in my money. Could you point that out for me?

It is quite possible that the lady you know that worked there is towing the official line while the lady I know that worked there feels free to be more honest about her feelings and experiences these days. Who knows? However she most certainly did work there and this is most certainly what I was told. Are you calling me a liar?

Furthermore, if you really want to go into more about what I have heard about that particular ‘Christian’ organisation I can tell you that you will never find a greater litany of evil or more hurt, confused and abused people walking around.

Do you really want to get into this?

Im just curious, was this Mandalay bus ever related to another bus which was (from memory) in that carpark theyve just over-developed, across from the BP servo. From memory the ‘other bus’ was called something like ‘The Big Red Bus’, and sold late-night asian take-away food. I vaguely remember seeing it around the area in my younger days, but never remember seeing it open. Then again, for all I remember, it might have actually been yellow not red. Anyone remember the red bus or is my memory failing me?

I have wondered what the story of the Mandalay bus was for years. It’s rather sad. Burmese food it good, too.

Where are the other late night food caravans and how late are they open to? The only one I know is the hamburger etc van out in the carpark at Woden but understand that there’s another in the wilds of Gunghalin.

I had the worset case of food poisoning ever from that bus.

Later I found out that the guy used to just turn off the power each night and go home. When He came in the next night he’d just turn everything on again and it would all just slowly heat up again (or cool down in the case of stuff in the fridge).

The Doghouse is in Young, Goldenwest? Mmmm, maybe my source got their Houses and Huts confused…

I knew one of the ladies that made those milkshakes (and spiders!) in the Dubbl Dekka bus in Civic. It shut down because a water main exploded under it and ruined the bus and flooded it. It was too expensive to replace, so it shut down. Not all Christians are interested in your money, Granny.

It was the Dubbl Dekka coffee bus and it was yellow. I think they mainly did pancakes, and one lady told me it went broke because the church kept taking too much money out of the business.

I hope that isn’t the Mandalay bus because I kind of liked the Dubbl Dekka one with the funky hippy flowers painted on the side. Mum and I used to meet there often for lunch when she was working in the city.

There used to be a pink double decker bus in Civic, would have been the 70s into the early 80s. Sold scones and milkshakes and things, in the alley between Woolworths and the jewllery shop (angus and coote?). Approximately where the Civic Starbucks ended up. I wonder if they flogged it to the Mandalay bloke? Anyone know what happened to it?
It was run by Christians, I think.

The Doghouse is now located in a suburban park in Young, NSW. Never seen it actually opened on the rare occasions I head there though. Seems like it is still functioning though.

George Thung and the Mandalay bus was very much a late night focal point in the now James Court area until 1995/95 and then at the back end of the civic car park near the old skate park. Had many a drunken conversation and he was a real gentleman. We had a good argument about Doug Anthony one night. He was very fond of him as the Fraser Immigration Minister had allowed him and his family to emigrate from Burma in the mid 70s.

Ah the “Mandalay” bus. I remember seeing it in the old carpark near the Canberra centre back in the 1980s when I would visit Canberra as an 8 year old (or thereabouts). It was in that carpark for many years, and every time we drove past I would wonder why it was closed at 11am and who ate there…

Sounds like a Road Trip is in order!

Re. Tampico Hut: I’ve been (semi)-reliably informed that the Hut has spent the last few years dishing out the same air-thickening nachos and tacos (plus killer hotdogs) that sustained me on many a Saturday night during the late 80’s early 90’s in the town of Young.

“and has some other creepy pictures painted on it”

What sort of creepy pictures?

Granny,

I’d imagine we probably did discuss it, but can’t recall what, if anything he said. My lingering impression was that he’d retired – he would’ve been mid/late seventies at a guess.

Did he say why his bus was still there, YapYapYap?

I got into a spot of bother outside the bus when it was opposite the old Canb Times building – but thats another story.

I can recall eating more than a ‘million’ late night curries there, oh and a form a vegie fritter whose name escapes me right now. Food was good and George was a lovely old bloke.

I last saw Goerge at the Dickson Tradies around 4 -5 years ago and had a good chat to him. If I recall the details of the attack on him; he was struck on the head with an iron bar and lost the sight in one eye as a result – CTs covered it at the time.

I also recall it operating in the same carpark as the Doghouse, opposite the BP in Braddon. I’d say it first appeared on the scene around 1981.

Im supprised the guys living in the bus didn’t steal it and sell it for scrap metal……

still it’s a shame 2 hear about the owners, I think i probably went there myself a few times myself i do remember a takeaway van in the area

I used to live in Braddon for a few years and remember seeing two young guys who seemed to be living in the bus, although it was never open for business in the time I lived there.
Having had a drunken yarn with the owner of the Doghouse a few weeks before they were forced to shut down I enquired about the Mandalay bus with him. He told me that they had a “special circumstances” deal of sorts with the government as he had tried to move his business to that car park as well but had been refused permission.

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 ….

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 😉

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.

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.

Hi

Thanks everyone for the insights…

Appreciate the large response and entertaining banter.

DL

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

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….

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

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.

I have wondered about that.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Doghouse !

How could I forget such a name.

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

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.

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.

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