A Zippy blast from the past | Signs of the Apocalypse
This week, InSider stumbles into a Rundle Mall time warp and gets drunk on sign-changing power.
Zippy returns!
Some of Insider’s … um… older readers may be be interested to hear we were momentarily swept back to the 1980s this week.
Some hoarding has been removed from the small but perfectly formed landmark building on the Mall’s northern side near Pulteney St, and there it is: Zippy Snack Bar. Well, the sign, anyway.
Zippy snack bar lives! Photo: InDaily
Zippy’s was a popular little place in its day, back when the Mall was paved with red brick and featured John Martin’s department store and a feisty little underground pub called The Norfolk Tavern.
Insider also went a bit misty for a moment remembering Zippy’s neighbour, the old Silver Dragon Chinese restaurant which was a family favourite on city outings.
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This Rundle Mall landmark was once home to Zippy Snack Bar and the Silver Dragon restaurant. Photo: InDaily
We also noted that all three ground floor spaces are now vacant and wonder what’s in store for this lovely building which is still in good repair. We’ll be watching.
Signs of the Apocalypse
Still on signs, and it may just be coincidence but Insider suspects it has a few readers in government departments.
In June we proudly brought you Adelaide’s shittiest road sign, which loomed like a filthy gargoyle above Glen Osmond Rd and frightened motorists on the city’s gateway entrance from the South Eastern Freeway.
Photo: InDaily
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The hilariously beaten-up sign appeared to have survived a nuclear winter or the Zombie Apocalypse, and we pondered if some coins could be set aside from our multi-billion-dollar roads budget for a new one.
This week, as we sat stuck in traffic on Glen Osmond Rd (imagining how much worse it will be when thousands of future Mt Barker residents all try to get home as well), we looked up for our usual cheap laugh and saw… this.
Photo: InDaily
Wow. So gleaming. So new. No peeling, or sky peeking through a gaping hole. Good job, Transport Department. We’ll probably never know if our little shoutout in June prompted the change, but we’ll take some credit anyway as we’re on a bit of a roll with getting signs changed.
In May, we told you about the big signs on North Terrace telling everyone that the Aboriginal Cultural Centre – put on ice in 2022 – was going to open in 2025, which everyone but tourists knew was a lie.
That prompted swiftish action at Lot 14. No, not on the vacant lot meant to house the Aboriginal Cultural Centre. Don’t be silly. No, the sign was changed.
The wording has been tweaked. Most importantly, now there’s no troublesome date to embarrass anyone. But the sign still says the centre will cost $200 million. That’s exactly why the project was pulled – the Premier doubted a world-class centre could be built for that and last we heard the estimates ranged from $400 million to $600 million.
Maybe drag out a spray can and change the sign again. Third time lucky.
