#227-365 Past it's Prime

No Tammy and Karen this is not a self portrait, it is just a small corner store that must have seen brighter days, I saw this when Sally and I pulled over just outside Newcastle NSW, where the Power Station I photographed is located.

The Sign says "Browns Garage" Circa 1875, now I made no effort to verify the date but the shape of the shed behind the store, gave indications that it could have been a barn or some such building which over the years had been patched and improved as the role of the establishment tried to keep pace with the times.

To give some validity to the date, the only thing that comes to mind is the fact that it is around that time that an American called Freeman Cobb, came to Australia and set up Cobb& Co Coach company, which although starting primarily in the Victoria Gold Rush region, soon developed a widespread network that incorporated most of the then Australian Colonies.

This could have been one of the staging posts that were set up to support the coach line which from the look of its weathered and broken down signage tried everything imagineable to stay viable. From what I could see across the road, the removed Petrol pumps were more likely the old single pump bowser recently posted by Mike -mrod at his a momentago blogsite. It seems though that it eventually succumbed as I saw no evidence of commercial use more recent than two years previous.

A link to a website with information on Cobb & CO is at
http://www.cobbandco.qm.qld.gov.au/history/earlydays.asp

A TV show called Whiplash imported Peter Graves of Mission Impossible fame to play one Christopher Cobb, and it was a rollicking good show at a time when American Westerns were the real culture of us Aussie kids, a link for this is at
http://www.classicaustraliantv.com/whiplash.htm

Aha back in stride!