Eateries go for ’20s vibe
THE Federal Woollen Mills is being transformed into a 1920s-style cafe and speak-easy as Geelong’s north continues to be rejuvenated. Geelong woman Nathalie Moussi, pictured, has been doing up the Mackey St building after starting negotiations with the landlord in January. “There are two sites. One of them will be a cafe, restaurant and bar, which is opening first, and the other will be like a whiskey, gin, wine bar a bit further down but in the same precinct,” she said. The first eatery, The Federal, is set to open at the start of 2017 and will dish up modern Australian and Mediterranean cuisine. Its sister bar is yet to be named, and will be modelled on a Prohibition-style speakeasy with a more “fine dining” menu. It would open up about six months later if all goes to plan. “We want to pay homage to the era that it was actually built in, the 1920s,” Ms Moussi said. “The decor will be a combination of art deco and industrial with a bit of a modern touch.”
The trendy new eateries would join funky additions to North Geelong, from the Pickers Union cafe to the Powerhouse art exhibition.
Ms Moussi said the improvement of Geelong’s outer suburbs was similar to what was happening in Melbourne with the hipster takeover of surrounding areas such as Footscray, Collingwood and Preston.
“I think Geelong is just beginning to get there, I can see it growing.
“There’s a sense of going back to the past, going back to some of these really old buildings that were ignored before. Now people are really trying to bring that back with a modern twist.
“I think it will be good to regenerate North Geelong in that way.”
Ms Moussi’s family has more than 60 years of hospitality experience, but this new venture would be her biggest to date in terms of “starting something from scratch”.
She said it had been a “labour of love” working with heritage restrictions and council planning requirements to transform the large building into a functional site.
“It’s a huge site, but I think that’s one of the exciting things,” she said.