A son remembers his father's visionary legacy overlooking Canberra

"It is heartbreaking because it was dad's legacy," Antony said from Melbourne on Friday. "He loved that he had achieved this thing and he was very, very proud of it."

The unique 12-sided building, opened on Red Hill lookout in 1963, is being sold for the first time, with LJ Hooker Commercial in Canberra accepting expressions of interest until May 27.

Antony said his family had decided to let the building go after the remaining members left Canberra following the death of his father in 2004. His sister Yvonne and their mother were now in Sydney.

The Red Hill building, which housed the family's Carousel restaurant, was the embodiment of a migrant's vision and hard work. Peter was born in Croatia; Lidia in Poland. They met briefly in Italy as they were leaving post-war Europe and then again in Melbourne, where Peter was working for Massey Ferguson tractors. Getting a new job at the Hotel Australia in Collins Street soon led Peter down the path to a career in hospitality.

Lidia and Peter moved to Cooma where they ran the Motel Cortina, attracted by its dining room, rather than its accommodation. Antony said it entertained the many migrants working on the Snowy Hydro Electric Scheme and his father always made sure there was plenty of champagne, cognac and music.

Antony said his father only moved to Canberra when he happened to find out the Red Hill site was for sale. The building was designed by Miles Jakl to accommodate the 20-metre-diameter footprint.

Antony said he remembered as a child eating leftover tubs of gelati from the restaurant and helping in the kiosk downstairs when busloads of tourists would arrive to buy "an ice cream, a milkshake, a postcard and some of the tacky souvenirs we used to have".

The family ran the Carousel on and off until the late 1980s but remained owners of the building. Antony hoped the new owner loved it as much as his father.

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