The title for Australia's oldest continually running fish and chip shop is often contested, but Doyles on the Beach in Sydney's Watsons Bay (since 1885) is a strong contender, while Carlisle Seafood in Melbourne (since 1922) is Melbourne's oldest, and Greek migrant Athanassio Comino (1879) is credited with opening the first-ever in Sydney, though not necessarily continuously running.
At 103 years old, Carlisle Seafood stakes its claim as the longest-running fish and chip shop in Melbourne, the Herald Sun reports. The Melbourne institution has weathered over a century of changes in the busy train station precinct.
1879 First Greek fish and chip shop Athanassio Comino hailed from the Greek island of Kythera and arrived in Sydney in 1873. Accounts of his enterprise vary. Several newspaper articles have credited him with opening the first fish and chip shop in Australia. However, family accounts tell a different story.
Methuselah (lungfish) Methuselah (captured 1938; born as early as 1922) is an Australian lungfish residing at the Steinhart Aquarium. She is known for being the oldest living fish in captivity as of 2023.
The first major fast-food chain in Australia was Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), which opened its first restaurant in Guildford, Sydney, on April 27, 1968, kicking off the country's fast-food revolution and paving the way for other American chains like McDonald's and Burger King (Hungry Jack's) to follow later.
There isn't one single "oldest restaurant" as it depends on definitions (pub vs. formal dining, continuous operation), but Sydney's Fortune of War (1828) is Australia's oldest licensed pub, while Melbourne's Mitre Tavern (1868) is a strong contender for oldest building used as a restaurant, and Doyles on the Beach (1885) is Australia's oldest seafood/fish & chip spot, though definitions vary.
A&W (1919) predates White Castle (1921), McDonald's (1940), Burger King (1954), and other major chains by significant margins. This makes A&W the definitive answer to the common question: “What is the oldest fast-food chain still in business with the same product ?”
Now, the new study, published recently in Scientific Reports, confirmed that two more buffalofish species—the smallmouth buffalo and the black buffalo—can live more than a hundred years, making it the only known genus of animal besides the marine rockfish, Sebastes, that has three centenarian species.
Australia holds the oldest continental crust on Earth, researchers have confirmed, hills some 4.4 billion years old. For more than a decade, geoscientists have debated whether the iron-rich Jack Hills of western Australia represent the oldest rocks on Earth.
The Red Handfish (Thymichthys politus) is one of the rarest fish on Earth. Unlike most fish, it "walks" across the seafloor using modified pectoral fins resembling tiny hands. Found only in shallow waters off Tasmania, Australia, it crawls slowly along sandy seabeds and seaweed patches.
Australia's first McDonald's opened in Yagoona, Sydney, in 1971, marking the start of "Macca's" in the country, though the original building closed in 1994, a new one with a 70s theme later reopened on the site in 2021 for its 50th anniversary, but the Hurlstone Park store is noted as the longest continuously operating on its original site.
The reason malt vinegar has remained the standard for fish and chips is because, like ketchup, the sharpness and acidity cuts through the fatty fried flavor creating a balanced bite. Acids like vinegar or lemon add a welcome freshness or brightness to foods, enhancing their flavors and creating harmony in our mouths.
Scarborough, a seaside town in North Yorkshire, UK, is widely considered the "chippy capital" of Britain, boasting the highest density of fish and chip shops per person, with around 93 establishments serving its population and countless tourists. Other contenders with high numbers include East Lindsay (Skegness/Mablethorpe area) and Blackpool, though Scarborough consistently ranks #1 for density, fueled by its strong fishing heritage and visitor appeal.
Today, American-founded fast-food chains such as McDonald's ( est. 1940) and KFC (est. 1952) are multinational corporations with outlets across the globe.
Harry died in 1963, the business changed hands several times, the name was franchised and there are now 170 international outlets with his name. Sadly in 2011, the Guiseley restaurant closed, it has since been refurbished and reopened as one of the Wetherby Whaler chain. S137 – Harry Ramsden's, Undated.
The first recorded owner of an Australian fish and chip shop is Greek migrant Athanasias Comino, who opened his shop in 1879 on Sydney's Oxford Street, though Comino's shop was inspired by an unknown Welshman's pre-existing fish and chip shop.
The oldest town in Australia, in terms of European settlement, is generally considered to be George Town, Tasmania, founded in 1803, though older settlements like Sydney (1788) and Parramatta (1788) are older cities, with Bathurst (1815) being the oldest inland settlement, and oldest Aboriginal sites like Madjedbebe (around 65,000 years old) predate all European arrivals by tens of thousands of years.
More than 70% of our planet is ocean – and 90% of that ocean is deep sea.
Right now, the Australian Plate is drifting north at about 7 cm per year, making it one of the fastest-moving continents. Over millions of years, Australia will collide more fully with Southeast Asia, changing geography and forming new mountain ranges.
Fish worth a million dollars are typically rare, high-quality bluefin tuna sold at Japan's New Year auctions for prestige and good fortune, or exceptionally rare Japanese koi bred for unique colors and patterns, with recent sales reaching over $3 million for tuna and $1.8 million for koi. These prices reflect cultural value, culinary demand, and the fish's status as a collector's item rather than just food.
The tubeworm Escarpia laminata that lives in deep sea cold seeps regularly reaches the age of between 100 and 200 years, with some individuals determined to be more than 300 years old. Some may live for over 1,000 years.
Bobi (Portuguese pronunciation: [bɔˈβi], 11 May 1992 – 21 October 2023) was a male purebred Rafeiro do Alentejo dog cared for by Leonel Costa of Conqueiros, Leiria, Portugal. Bobi was claimed by his caretaker to be the oldest dog to ever live and the first dog on record to reach 30 years.
Shakey's Pizza is a pizza restaurant chain based in the United States and the Philippines. Founded in 1954, it was the first franchise pizza chain in the United States. In 1968, the chain had 342 locations. As of July 2019, the chain had about 500 stores globally and 58 in the United States.
A&W Facts. What does A&W stand for? A&W stands for our founders, Roy Allen and Frank Wright. Who owns A&W Restaurants? A&W was purchased by a group of domestic and international franchise partners in 2011.
While McDonald's and Burger King have both been around since the 1950s, Mickey D's didn't introduce the Big Mac until 1968. The Whopper, meanwhile, debuted in 1957, when co-founder Jim McLamore noticed that a rival burger joint was having success with an extra-large burger.