Dairy houses to be restored to former glory
The houses went through a myriad of owners and functions over the years.
The Springs dairy houses, located on Main Reef Road, have been bought and revamped by Tony da Cruz.
Da Cruz has breathed new life into the property and has big plans going forward.
He bought the two buildings in April and searched far and wide to find doors and windows to match the original design.
The houses were built in 1944 by the Judd family who owned a dairy farm near Presidents Dam.
After the advent of pasteurisation, the Judd family decided to set up premises to treat their milk to improve its shelf life.
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The family distributed the milk from the dairy houses to the people of Springs, delivering fresh bottles of milk to the doorsteps of grateful customers every morning.
In the 1980s, Clover took over the dairy houses but soon moved their operations elsewhere. The houses then went through a myriad of owners and functions.
In 2000, the Keg restaurant group bought the property and turned it into an Irish pub, which was very popular with the people of Springs.
However, after the restaurant closed down, the houses became derelict and vandals stole the doors and windows.
“It’s such an important piece of architecture in the area and has to be preserved in some way. It is one of the few places that still has the look of this historic town.
“People loved this place and there’s so much history that it would be a shame to just leave it,” said da Cruz.
Da Cruz plans to use the buildings to exhibit art and to host art festivals.
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“It’s such a nice place, and you have a massive open area where people can hang out and listen to music or enjoy poetry reading,” he said.
Da Cruz hopes the art festival will draw people to the town and expose local talent.
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