In another instalment of the series “Where did the time go?”, Ponyfish Island – aka the bar beneath the Evan Walker Bridge on the Yarra – turned 15 in November. It began as a summer pop-up from long-time friends Grant Smillie (E.P & L.P, Marmont), Andrew Mackinnon (The Taboo Group) and Jerome Borazio (St Jerome’s Laneway Festival), but the instant success of the former ice-cream kiosk-turned bar in the middle of the river saw the pop-up morph into a Melbourne icon.
In typical Ponyfish style, a weekend-long party was thrown to celebrate the milestone and KDPO was delighted to be on board to alert Melburnians to the festivities.
The birthday bash kicked off with an invitation-only event with a guest list that included Bec Harding, Tully Smyth, Lee Elliott and Shane Delia. That was followed by a whirl of parties over the rest of the weekend that included specially priced cocktails and pizzas and an incredible roster of DJ talent. Two new bespoke installations by Academy Award-winning creative Leo Baker referencing the Wes Anderson film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (also the source of the bar’s name) provided another lure. There was also the much-anticipated ringing of the bell at intervals throughout the weekend that signified a free drink for the whole bar.
In addition to the new installations, the birthday weekend also introduced new staff uniforms, designed in collaboration with Aussie company Worktones, that will help set the Ponyfish mood for the next 15 years.
