A heartfelt farewell for the Ocean View Kiosk

An outpouring of community support marked the final day of trading at Queenscliff’s Ocean View Kiosk, which closed on Sunday after 21 years.

Well-wishers packed the foreshore kiosk throughout the day, including a car park full of hot rods from the regular Cars and Coffee meet.

The Borough of Queenscliffe says the ageing kiosk has reached the end of its life and will be demolished and replaced, with a new lease and expression of interest process to determine who operates the new facility.

Operator Darren Maher, who has run the kiosk alongside a team of friends and locals, said he had been overwhelmed by the community’s response after announcing the closure.

He said customers had arrived with cards, gifts and heartfelt messages to thank the team for more than two decades of service.

 

 

Liz Atkinson, who has been visiting the kiosk for more than 15 years, was among those who came to say a tearful goodbye.

“They provide such a wonderful service for the community. It is just heartbreaking that they are going,” she said.

Long-time customers Will and Carol Van Berkel presented the team with a photo album capturing many of the faces that had become part of the kiosk’s story.

It included photographs of the kiosk’s first customer, who continued to visit until his death last week.

For many, that sense of familiarity was what made the Ocean View Kiosk so special.

Customers spoke of the kiosk as a place where staff knew their names, remembered their orders and took time to ask how they were doing.

“They always take the time to have a quick chat with you no matter how busy they are,” Will said.

Many of the friendships formed at the kiosk were on display outside, where regulars gathered one last time for a coffee and a chat.

In an age of increased loneliness and isolation, Carol said she is concerned that some of the locals – especially those who are retired – may lose a vital connection point to the community.

 

 

The kiosk’s close-knit community also saw many regulars step behind the counter to help over the years.

Maher’s best friend, Phil Meakin, was among them, becoming a familiar face behind the coffee machine.

Meakin’s granddaughter, Margy, was among those to leave the team with a lasting memento, writing a poem to mark the kiosk’s final days.

“What a shame it’s come to an end,” the poem read. “Because I guarantee it’s how everyone has made at least one friend.”

 

 

Despite appeals from the community to retain the kiosk, the Borough of Queenscliffe has maintained the closure is necessary.

“There have been no changes to the approved approach for the Ocean View Kiosk,” a council spokesperson said.

“The kiosk will be closed due to end of lease and operational considerations. It cannot remain open while future works are progressed.”

The Crown land site will now go through a new lease and expression of interest process to determine who operates the replacement kiosk.