Renovations on Wodonga’s Southside Terrace to create a fresh destination to dine

Originally on the site of an old timber mill, the structure has not been redone for more than a decade.

Owner Suzanne Jefferies said renovations started about a month ago from the Beechworth Road end in the hope to be completed before the summer peak, when patrons would want to dine al fresco.

The paneling will be changed to make the amenity look colourful, with yellow, silver, charcoal and even apple green featuring.

“We’ve been told by the tenants that this is more of a destination to dine,” Mrs Jefferies said.

“It’s not like people come through, it’s more a place of fixture because of all the restaurants here.

“I hope it will bring up the value of our tenants, we’ve got some tenants that have spent a lot of money on their own fit out, and we feel now it’s time to update.

“Southside Terrace is more for outdoor eating, families, and the playground. It will all be upgraded, I think it will be a place to be next year.”

And Wodonga Council also chipped in to put new roofing on the outside pergolas near the playground.

The block used to be known as Dustan’s Corner because an old timber works sat there, run by the Dunstan family. ​A. Dunstan and Sons’ timber yard was founded soon after the Great Depression in 1935 and came to employ about 150 workers by the 1980s.

But the early 1990s recession in Australia and lowering timber prices dealt a blow to the business, and it eventually closed its doors in 1992.

The opening of coffee shop Platinum Brew in 2014 saw a resurgence in popularity of Southside Terrace.

Recycled jam jars, concrete plant pots and rustic timber tables in the cafe paid homage to a bygone era, and owner Sharon Paroz said she brought her fresh approach to food to her first cafe venture.