On Wednesday 21st Jan 2026, our first meeting for the new year, we were taken back through memory lane with a presentation on “The Corner Shop” by member Diane Gow.
Diane has been a member of National Trust for 42 years with the last 21 as President of the Ballarat Branch, and some time ago, the Ballarat Branch of The National Trust took on the challenge of recoding over 160 ‘Corner Shops’ around Ballarat.
A corner shop was the original small business which started in the Gold Rush Era with many providers trading in Ballarat using horses and carts to carry goods to residents. Later, shops were established, not necessarily on a corner, but usually with a resident attached. The Corner Shop came under a multitude of banners. There were grocers, butchers, bakers, confectioners, bootmakers, tailors, dressmakers and milkmen, all supplying a need.
Do you remember your favourite Corner Shop?
The Trust has presented this information in a book full of photos. The Trust has also collated Ballarat Bluestones and Decorative Cast Iron. You can purchase these books from the Mechanics institute.