An Outback Lifeline

Imagine if your monthly grocery shopping took nearly a week! In the colony’s early years, settler women and their children living on remote properties often had to travel a few days by buggy on dirt tracks to get to the nearest township for supplies. Overnight stays at inns and hotels were common, and a good general store, like Thomas Urwin’s (1871-1942) in Lightning Ridge, was a lifeline, delivering food and mail to isolated families.

Outback life was tough; floods, drought, and bushfires often destroyed crops and livestock. When settlers did manage to grow fruit and vegetables, there was no refrigeration, so preserving food by salting, canning or pickling was essential. General stores offered bulk supplies of provisions like salt, vinegar, sugar, and flour.

Born in Boggabillia on the NSW-Queensland border, Tom Urwin was much more than an opal miner and storekeeper; he was a driving force behind the development of Lightning Ridge’s built environment. His sense of civic duty saw him use innovative, economical techniques to help build key infrastructure, including the Imperial Hotel and the Bush Nursing Cottage.

In 1912, Tom married Minnie (1897-1955), the sister of his mining partner Snowy Brown (1885-1945), and built their first home. He also helped build the town’s school residence, post office, and various family homes. Though Tom and Snowy struck it lucky mining opals in 1913, Tom’s building work continued unabated. In 1918, he and Minnie moved from their first marital home to Morilla Street, where they took over Nygahs General Store. The rebranded ‘Thos Urwin’s General Store’ remained open until Tom’s passing in 1942.

Though Minnie later remarried and moved to Sydney, Tom Urwin’s legacy endures in the built environment of Lightning Ridge.