Gundagai's iconic Niagara Cafe set to go up for sale
One of the first things Athina Loukissas remembers is packing up her bags in Melbourne to move to Gundagai, after her father bought a local cafe.
Now, Ms Loukissas has been working at iconic Niagara Cafe for so long, she just calls it home.
The cafe is set to go up for sale for the second time in a century and is the longest Greek-run cafe in the country.
And there's been a fair few famous faces through the doors, most Ms Loukissas hasn't recognised, she admits.
The Niagara Cafe in Gundagai, NSW, is up for sale for the second time in a century. Picture: Neil Newitt
In 1996, Jackie Chan visited the cafe. Ms Loukissas had no idea who he was; her brother, Tony Loukissas, was a huge fan.
Unfortunately for Tony, Ms Loukissas' dad had sent him out to run an errand and missed Mr Chan.
Ms Loukissas said he wasn't thrilled when he found out he'd miss one of his idols.
"He goes, 'What? Did you get his autograph? Did you get his photo?'," Ms Loukissas said.
Athina's father, the late Nick Loukissas, who bought the cafe in 1982. Mr Loukissas pictured in 1992. Picture: Ben Rushton
But it's also served then-prime minister John Curtin in 1942, and former prime minister Gough Whitlam in 2001.
It looks like a pure slice of art deco Americana; a diner cafe complete with booths, mirrored counter and serving spiders and burgers.
"People who come in here for the first time are like, 'Wow, this is like Happy Days' and 'Please, don't ever change it'," Ms Loukissas said.
Since her father Nick passed, and her brother and mother Denise fell ill, Ms Loukissas decided to pass the torch.
Ms Loukissas said she still hosts "Greek nights" at the cafe, serving traditional Greek dishes, but for the most part it's burgers, shakes and chips. Picture: Nick Moir
She said her parents bought it off its previous owner, also Greek, in 1983. Her dad had driven through town before and decided he wanted to buy it one day.
"How did [Greeks] end up in Gundagai? Beats me," Ms Loukissas.
The previous owner had bought it in 1919 off the man who built it in 1902.
She said the Greek-run cafes were all about good food and hospitality, something perhaps in short supply in early Australia.
"I think it's just Greeks first opened these cafes, there was one apparently in every country town in Australia back when they first started opening," Ms Loukissas.
"They brought cafes to Australia."
She said whoever buys can do what they want with it, but she hopes they keep some of Niagara's art deco charm.