Tilley's

Tilley's café

Tilley's Devine café Gallery is a well-known café in the suburb of Lyneham in Canberra, Australia which first opened in 1984. It originally had seating for 60, but it subsequently expanded five times and now has large indoor and outdoor eating areas. Tilley's often held concerts at night for local musicians, but in 2005 it was announced that these would be scaled back in favour of the more financially viable restaurant and café side of the business [1] [2]. However it has hosted names such as Clare Bowditch at the café.

According to the Tilley's site, it was the first licensed outdoor venue in Australia, and the first Australian bar to ban smoking indoors.

Tilley's is named for Matilda 'Tilly' Devine, a gangster and madame from Sydney in the mid-twentieth century.

When Tilley's first opened, it was intended as a women's space, with men allowed entry only when accompanied by women, and a lesbian space, and it quickly became a fixture of the gay/lesbian scene in Canberra. The attempts to restrict or limit the entry of men inevitably brought challenges - most notably by a group of cadets from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, who attempted to force their way in, instigating a brawl - and eventually the policy was dropped. Tilley's is still popular with Canberra's lesbian community, but also appeals to a diverse cross-section of the population. Weekend - especially Sunday - breakfasts at Tilley's are a big tradition for local residents. Tilley's is also popular with Australian National University students studying during week days, groups of new mothers having social gatherings and, in the evenings, book groups.

In 2006, a window opened to serve coffee to go to morning commuters before the café's regular opening hours.

Past Performers

• Ember Swift
• Deborah Conway 2002, 2004, 2005 [3]
• Johnny Diesel 2003, 2004, 2005 [4]
• Missy Higgins 2004 [5]
• Bernie Hayes 2003 [6]
• James Reyne 2004, 2005 [7]
• Hedys Lament 2004 [8]
• Ruby My Dear 1993
• Max Webb 2004
• Lucie Thorne 2003, 2004, 2007

External links

• Miettas Australian restaurants — Tilley's entry
• Tilley's homepage

35°15′7″S 149°7′27″E