Tearing down the flannelette curtain

When Dad and I told people what we were planning, they’d be saying ‘Why would we go out there?’ LUCY BAKER, ST ALBI

IT’S official: The so-called flannelette curtain dividing Hobart and the northern suburbs has shifted or fallen.

From real estate agents to a proud local mayor, the word on the street is that the longheld line along Creek and Risdon roads is a thing of the past.

But for a young restaura- teur at Moonah, the flannelette curtain — named after that symbol of working-class masculinity, the tartan-patterned, brushed-cotton shirt — didn’t exist in the first place.

Lucy Baker, of up-market eatery St Albi in Albert Rd, is right. The flannelette curtain is a figment of the cultural imagination, but until recently it was a powerful and only partly tongue-in-cheek notion for many residents on both sides.

Ms Baker, 32, was taken aback by the general reaction to news she was opening her first restaurant at Moonah 2½ ago.

“When Dad and I told people what we were planning, they’d be saying ‘ Why would we go out there?’”

But St Albi has not only proved the naysayers wrong by thriving in its out-of-the-way location, it has been described as a “game-changer” by many locals, including Glenorchy Mayor Kristie Johnston.

Property prices have surged by almost 40 per cent at Moonah over the past two years as buyers leave the inner suburbs in search of more affordable housing.

Ms Baker acknowledges the sleek 150-seater has played a role in lifting the profile and desirability of the suburb.

“You don’t want to say St Albi put it on the map, but I think by us coming here and being quite a big presence in the northern suburbs, it’s given confidence to the area.” MORE ON THE CURTAIN IN TASWEEKEND TODAY