Moving back down onto Sheridan Street having view the former Gundagai Literary Institute we come across another former cultural institution – the Gundagai Theatre. ‘My what a terribly cultured place this Gundagai is’, I hear you say.
The Gundagai Theatre in a lovely clean art deco style building opened in 1929 with, according the the local media ‘the gorgeous frocking lending a beautiful effect to what must be classed the largest dancing function yet held in Gundagai and district’ and a function ‘where the ladies excelled so well and set off their figures and looked so charming’. Patrons danced into the small hours to the music of the Melody Masters from the Dixieland Orchestra from nearby Wagga Wagga.
It must have been a grand evening.
Over the years the good people of Gundagai were treated to big dancing functions and city entertainments ranging from operas to pantomimes with everything in between. By the looks of the stage I surmise that the theatre may also have doubled up as a cinema.
When the theatre closed it was converted into an Art and Craft Emporium with 50 exhibitors. Today it houses an antiques emporium.
I am not sure how one distinguishes an emporium from a shop but what I can say is that this emporium has an extensive collection of country style antiques and bric-a-brac (stronger emphasis on that letter) on sale.
If interested, one could easily pass a pleasant hour or so rummaging around through the merchandise. I was especially surprised to see a very large collection of furs and fur coats on sale – perhaps formerly belonging to the ladies in ‘the gorgeous frocking’ who attended the grand balls here, in days gone by.
Freemason’s, Gundagai United Lodge No 25, continue to meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month in a room at the back of the old theatre.
Should you take a liking to the old theatre, it is for sale.
Address: 217 Sheridan Street
For my next GUNDAGAI review click HERE.
To start reading at the beginning of my GUNDAGAI reviews click HERE.
The Rambling Wombat 
I went to the movies there, many times, as a child, in the 1960’s.
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Lovely old building, and fun to poke around among the bric-a-brac, I am sure
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Indeed, I love a good poke too 🙂
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