Site 17 – Billiard Room, Drapery and Atkinson Stock & Station Agency

This building in Alma Street has witnessed many changes throughout Burren Junction’s history. Although relatively little has been recorded about its early years, it played an important role in both the social and commercial life of the town.

During the early 1900s, the building operated as a billiard room—one of the few recreational venues in Burren Junction. Before television, radio and organised sporting competitions became commonplace, billiard rooms were popular gathering places where local residents could relax, socialise and exchange the latest district news after a day’s work.

Historical records indicate that Mr Witton owned the billiard room at one time. By 1915, W. J. Wallace is listed as proprietor of a billiard saloon, and in 1917 A. Mack is recorded as operating both a hairdressing business and the billiard saloon in Burren Junction.

Around 1920, Harry V. Pooley also conducted a drapery business in Burren Junction, adding to the growing number of businesses that served the expanding community.

In later years, the building became the home of Atkinson’s Stock & Station Agency. Like many country agencies of the time, it provided valuable services to local graziers and farmers, assisting with livestock sales, wool marketing, rural supplies and property transactions. The agency was also a place where local producers met to discuss markets, seasons and community affairs, making it an important part of everyday life in Burren Junction.

Unlike many of the timber buildings that once lined the town’s streets and were lost to fire over the years, this building has survived. It remains one of the few tangible reminders of Burren Junction’s early commercial centre and reflects the changing needs of the community as the town developed.

The historic photograph from 1952 captures this section of Alma Street during its busiest years. Atkinson’s Stock & Station Agency can be seen on the right-hand side, with neighbouring businesses extending along the street. While many of those businesses have disappeared or changed over time, the building still stands today, providing a valuable link to Burren Junction’s commercial past.

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

Photos

Photo Site Today
The former billiard room and later Atkinson’s Stock & Station Agency as it appears today. The building remains one of the surviving commercial buildings from Burren Junction’s early business district.

Photo Shopping Centre, Burren 1952
This historic photograph shows the Alma Street shopping centre in 1952. Atkinson’s Stock & Station Agency can be seen on the right, alongside neighbouring businesses that once formed the heart of Burren Junction’s commercial centre.