About

Designed and built to serve the people of the Coolamon district, the Up to Date Store resonates with the memories of the community.   The Store was divided into several different departments which included grocery, ironmongery, crockery, drapery, mercery, millinery, haberdashery, clothing and footwear. In fact, it is true that anything and everything, from a plough to a piano could be purchased from the Up-To-Date Store.   Today, the Up to Date Store is the focal point of a cultural precinct housing numerous collections which highlight the rural heritage of the Coolamon Shire.

The Store boasts its original fittings including the Lamson Cash Railway, which is the only known Ball Style Cash Railway System in the world that is still in its original location. The Ball Style Cash Railway is the predecessor to the later models of cash carriers including the spring loaded ‘flying fox’ and the pneumatic systems that can still be found in department stores, today.

The Store remains as a visual reminder of the ingenuity and skill of local architects, builders and the retail traders and their staff. It also remains as a focus for the collective memories of the people who, over the years, have called Coolamon ‘home’. The Up to Date Store’s social and historical significance was acknowledged with its listing on the State Heritage Register in 2006.