Site 19 – McIntyre’s Store

During Burren Junction’s early years, the general store was at the heart of everyday life. Before supermarkets and regular road transport, families relied on local stores for everything from groceries and clothing to farming supplies, hardware and household essentials.

One of the town’s earliest businesses was Mulckey’s Store, established in Alma Street in 1903. As Burren Junction grew following the arrival of the railway, the store became an important supplier for local residents, railway workers and surrounding pastoral properties.

It is believed that McIntyre Bros. took over the business shortly after 1916. According to local records supplied by Les Murphy, the original Mulckey store was destroyed by fire around 1920, one of several devastating fires that reshaped Burren Junction’s commercial centre.

The business continued under a succession of owners. During the 1920s and 1930s it was operated by the Keebles family before the McIntyre family again became associated with the store. Later it traded as A. E. Collins Store and eventually became known as Permewan’s Store during the 1960s and 1970s.

In 1978 the business was purchased by Tim and Pat Collins (née Stevens), whose families were among Burren Junction’s pioneering settlers. Their ownership continued the long tradition of local families operating businesses that served the district for generations.

Although the original Mulckey building was lost to fire, the present McIntyre’s Store continues to stand as one of Alma Street’s best-known landmarks and is a reminder of the important role local general stores played in the daily life of rural communities.

Historical information sourced primarily from Visions of the Plains – A History of Burren Junction and District (2nd Edition) by Judy Field, together with local family recollections and community records.

Photos

Photo McIntyre’s Store Today
McIntyre’s Store as it appears today, continuing more than a century of commercial history on this Alma Street site.

Photo Restored Store Front
The restored façade of McIntyre’s Store reflects the appearance of Burren Junction’s early general stores.

Photo Mulckey’s Store, c.1903
Mulckey’s Store shortly after opening in Alma Street. Established in 1903, it was one of Burren Junction’s earliest general stores.

Photo Original Historic Photograph
Original photograph of Mulckey’s Store, kindly preserved by local families and used as the basis for the restored historic image.