For more than a dozen years beachgoers along a picturesque slice of West Coast Drive could drop by Yelo for their caffeine hit.
Those days are officially over now, though, with all that remains of the iconic cafe a pile of rubble, thanks to the work of an excavator tearing down the building to make way for apartments.
Looking on, and after 14 years owning the popular cafe with the beachfront view in Trigg, Michael Pond said goodbye to the birthplace of Yelo — which became a second home for so many far and near.
“It was just like the place to be really . . . everyone from the area would swing through to get a coffee and chat,” he said.
“My kids grew up here, lots of people’s kids grew up here and it would just be like ‘let’s all meet at Yelo’.
“Now it just looks like a bunch of junk and rubble. It’s been a sad day but a lot of people have been messaging me today in support, as well as stopping by to see it come down.”
The historic site previously Bennion Street Cafe and Cleggy’s Bait and Tackle, was the place to be for kids on push bikes. Mr Pond who grew up with all that and then created his own legacy.
“It’s hard to put it into words but so much has happened here at Yelo Trigg,” he said.
“Those community days when we held fundraisers here . . . to the day-to-day action of Yelo . . . there was always something going on here.
“(Like) so many lost dogs would just come up here at Yelo — it kind of became the lost and found home.”
Mr Pond moved Yelo less than 2km up the road in North Beach in May this year after he was forced to close when State planners agreed to build a four-storey apartment at the site.
The development was strongly opposed by residents who said the move would destroy and devalue the area, as well as set a precedent for future proposals.
Nevertheless, the plans earned the green light on August 27, 2021 — only after going back to the drawing board to reduce the number of apartments and to replace a cafe with an office in a bid to avoid a parking nightmare.
Westbridge Funds Management head of development Philip Anderson said the final design features a ground floor commercial space and three floors above that housing five apartments.
“We’re excited about this upcoming development which will include a range of luxury beachfront apartments, designed to capture Trigg’s stunning coastal views,” Mr Anderson said.
While the organisation says “prices are commercial in confidence” at this time — it was mooted to start at $2.8 million.
With only the iconic Yelo sign left standing on Thursday, Mr Pond said the feelings were mixed having seen the success of his new outlet on Flora Terrace.
“The new venue has been great for us and the community has been really supportive. It’s the same faces we are seeing — just in a different location,” he said.
“We’re busier than ever with the added seating. Moving has helped us try new things like expanding our menu offering.
“It’s got the same Yelo feeling and vibe so we’ve actually been really happy.”
Demolition began this week with construction scheduled to begin next month and completion likely in early 2025.