New tenants keen to bring old ‘Hunny Bunny’ building back to life
Whether you once had your car serviced there, rollerskated your way around the massive concrete floor or took your kids to explore the soft play equipment, you’ve likely spent a bit of time at the building located at 48 Lowe Street, Queanbeyan.
And now the 500sqm building, still referred to by locals as Hunny Bunny (after the service station and later the roller rink that operated there in the 1980s) is getting an extreme makeover. It’s being transformed into a new sales showroom for Queanbeyan business Skyview Windows.
Skyview managing director Neil Thompson says the ground floor of the building will feature a huge display of the company’s range of thermally efficient aluminium windows and doors, while the mezzanine level will be home to a sales office.
He says the building came to the attention of Skyview because it was a chance for the 22-year-old business to have a sales centre in the heart of the city at “the right price”.
“There are a few changes happening for Skyview with our factory moving from High Street to Waterloo Street and now the fit-out of a new display centre in town,” Neil says.
“My vision is to maintain the heritage values of Lowe Street by repainting in the current colour scheme and keeping the old Service sign above the door.
“The old windows and doors were beyond repair and in a dangerous state, so we’ve replaced them with double glazed products in a ‘white texturer’ finish.”
Neil believes the former garage at number 48 Lowe Street was built to service and repair cars in the 1940s next to one of Queanbeyan’s first petrol stations. (While renovating the building, his team uncovered an electricity box that dates back about 80 years.)
By the early 1980s (or possible before?) the mechanics were gone and the 500sqm concrete floor had been transformed into a roller rink. Local teens would spend Friday and Saturday nights there in tight jeans and long hair flowing (it was $2 for two hours, including skate hire – bargain!)
A sign on the side of a building shows the building then became a used furniture store. Its most recent reincarnation was as a soft play centre for kids in the either the 1990s or early 2000s.
Neil says Skyview Windows plans to stay a “long time” and bring back to life a building that’s been empty for decades. Skyview originally opened in 2002 at the top of Silva Avenue and moved to the current premises in High Street 15 years ago.
“It’s always been my policy to employ locals, use local trades and spend local,” Neil says.
“I’m looking forward to working with council to enhance the entrance to the Q carpark and council chambers with banners and streetscaping on the right hand side of the building.
“Come in and visit — especially if you used to roller skate there, you can show us what it used to be like.”
If you know more about the history of number 48 Lowe Street, let us know in the Facebook comments or email editor@qnewsmedia.com.au
About the Author: Bree Element
Part bogan, part wannabe plus-size model and part journalist, Bree's the woman behind Q! News. She's a pop culture obsessive who's deeply in love with her hometown, Queanbeyan, and the neighbouring capital. A born storyteller, she's been writing locally, nationally and internationally for more than 25 years.
