Brisbane staples: Soft drinks and ice creams

On a hot day in the Brisbane of the fifties and early sixties, the signs on this corner shop would be enough to send a kid into rapture, given that they suggest some of the best-liked refreshments of the time: Sawtell's pure fruit juices, Pauls ice cream and Tristram's soft drinks. The shop itself is in West End, on the corner of Vulture St and Besant St.

(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #131738)

These two streets meet at a rather sharp angle, so the building has an unusual shape, reminiscent of the famous Flatiron Building in New York. It is still a corner store, but with some changes - the signs are now for coffee and sandwiches. The balcony on the upper level has been removed.
(Photo: © 2009 the foto fanatic)

I think that Sawtell's fruit juices were made in Maryborough with fruit from Queensland's citrus belt, but the juice is no longer available. Here's a label, though.
(Photo: State Library of Queensland and John Oxley Library; #190715)

Pauls and Tristram's were manufactured in Brisbane, not far from this shop. Here's a picture of the Tristram's Soft Drinks factory from 1950.

(Photo: Courtesy Brisbane City Council; Image number BCC-B54-657)

Although Tristram's Soft Drinks are no more, their factory building remains in Boundary St, South Brisbane, and is now known as The Markets. It contains a number of retail stores.
(Photo: © 2009 the foto fanatic)

The Pauls factory could be found a little further on, down on Montague Rd by the river. Although the Pauls brand is still seen on milk and ice-cream, the company is now overseas owned - its parent company is the Italian conglomerate Parmalat. So, the passage of time has dealt harshly with these former Queensland brand icons - more's the pity for today's kids who don't know what they are missing. :-)

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tff

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