16/04/2026
Narracan Store and Post Office
THE GROWTH OF THE NARRACAN TOWNSHIP
The first settlers arrived at Narracan in 1873. After black coal was discovered at Coalville in 1882, the Narracan Valley Railway opened in 1888, prompting the creation of a new township. Even before the railway's launch, reports from April 1887 noted new houses near the station. In March 1888, William Hamilton & Co. sold 72 land blocks nearby, ranging from 1,000 square metres to four hectares.
EARLY BUSINESSES & COMMUNITY FACILITIES
Throughout the 1890s, Samuel Marshall established a boarding house near the station, while C. Atkins operated a coffee palace nearby for several years. As the years went by, the township also supported a blacksmith shop, initially run by Henry Matthews and later by Tom Pritchett. Additional community amenities included a Methodist Church, a butcher’s shop, a community hall, tennis courts, a creamery across the road from the store, and a school. In 1882 a cemetery was established.
Directly opposite the store was a creamery owned and operated by the Trafalgar Co-operative Dairying Co. Nearby were also a blacksmith and farrier’s shop, and a saddler’s shop adjacent to the present hall site.
Electricity was connected to Narracan in the mid-1950s. The remnants of the town centre currently feature three streetlights: one located at the hall, another outside the storehouse and former public telephone box area, and a third at the church, with an additional light positioned at the school. The concrete base that previously supported the telephone box remains visible today.
NARRACAN TOWNSHIP CIRCA 1900
The first photograph from around 1900 depicts Narracan township facing east. The building nearest the viewer is likely the Coffee Palace, with the general store located just beyond. Across Narracan Creek to the left stands the railway station, while part of the Methodist Church is visible on the right. The school can be seen on the distant slopes.
THE DECLINE OF THE RAILWAY
The last goods train served Narracan in 1944, and the final passenger train departed in 1958. The railway line was dismantled between 1961 and 1962.
THE NARRACAN STORE
Herbert Bernicke opened a store in Narracan in 1889 near Narracan Creek, following the closure and later destruction in 1898 fires of an earlier store on McDonalds Track after the railway arrived. The new township thrived with the railway, leading Bernicke to also open a location in Coalville.
Bernicke sold the store in 1898 to Wilfred Cox, who owned it briefly before selling to Chancellor & Son. In 1901, they expanded the store to include a post office. Previously, postal services were conducted at the railway station. With Federation, postal services transitioned from State to federal hands, and the post office offered a full post and telegraph service. The store also acted as a State Bank agency, and a single telephone line connected Moe, Coalville, Narracan, and Thorpdale Post Offices.
In 1908, Chancellor & Son sold the store to John Fyffe. Under Fyffe’s management, the store reached its peak trading period, becoming a true general store. It offered groceries, medicines, confectionery, bread, household and farm hardware, tools, crockery, stationery, men’s and ladies’ apparel, footwear, and animal feed grains.
Around 1918, the Fyffe family sold the business to the Trafalgar Co-operative Dairy, and Mr and Mrs H. Ransome were appointed managers. The Ransomes removed an old outside storage shed and constructed a new storage area in the railyards, allowing goods to be loaded directly off the train and reducing handling costs.
In 1928, the Trafalgar Co-operative closed, and Mr and Mrs Ransome became owner-managers for the next fifteen years. As motor transport became more popular, they installed a petrol bowser and fuel depot to cater to motorists.
In 1943, ownership changed to Mr I. A. Hopkins, who also owned the Thorpdale Bakery.
In 1950, the store was acquired by Mr J. McMichael.
In 1954 it was owned by Mr and Mrs Dennis. By this time, road transport had replaced most delivery services. The rail line declined and was removed in 1958, with all rail buildings demolished.
In 1959, the manual telephone exchange was cut and phone subscribers were subsequently connected to a new automatic exchange. According to local legend, it wasn’t actually “cut”. Mr Jack Dennis, owner of the store, was so disgusted with the wait whilst attempting to make a call one day, that he ripped the exchange off the wall with his bare hands and threw it unceremoniously into the Narracan Creek.
In 1961, the store changed hands for the final time, with Mr M. D. and Mrs N. J. Merson as owners. Despite some modernisation efforts, declining business and competition from larger stores and supermarkets in neighbouring towns made it difficult for the store to remain viable.
The closure of the country post office by the Postal Department in July 1974 was the final blow. Without the post office, the store could not operate profitably, and Mr and Mrs Merson closed it permanently.
The store closed its doors for the last time on 31 August 1974.
THE STORE’S NEW HOME AT OLD GIPPSTOWN
The building was acquired by Old Gippstown, largely out of opportunism and a need for a general store exhibit. After its closure and subsequent neglect, the former store building became a target for vandalism and posed a fire risk. Jim Speed and Geoff Dittrich were instrumental in relocating, restoring, and renovating the store. The Old Gippstown Committee and Moe City Council paid $800 to buy the building, $400 for its removal, and $1800 for transportation. Additionally, a government grant helped cover the expenses. The old store officially arrived at its new location on 6 July 1976.
SOURCE INFORMATION:
Narracan General Store, by Brian Webb & Julie Coates, publication date unknown.
The Narracan Store, by Robert M Auchterlonie for the Moe Historical Society Newsletter, Vol. 2, No. 3, March 1975.
