Commercial History of the Fitzmaurice Precinct

“David Copland & Co, Fitzmaurice Street,” Charles Sturt University Regional Archives Digital Gallery, accessed May 2, 2021, https://csuregarch.intersect.org.au/items/show/1739.

Fitzmaurice Street is named after John Fitzmaurice, an Irishman who fired the first shot at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

The first business to open on Fitzmaurice Street was an inn and general store, located at a ford across the Murrumbidgee River. In the 1840s Wagga was a busy place, as part of the Port Phillip Road.

The town plan of Wagga, made in 1849, placed Fitzmaurice Street at the heart of the village. Businesses like green grocers, blacksmiths, drapers and tailors catered to travellers, farmers and residents. Wagga was a busy little town.

Fitzmaurice Street was also an important place for everyday life. The post and telegraph office opened in 1869, and by 1870 there were four large banks in the street. A town crier informed shoppers of the latest news and a bell ringer helped them keep track of the time. The courthouse opened in 1902, replacing a simpler building that had been damaged by numerous floods.

The opening of the railway station saw many businesses open along Baylis Street, to be closer to the railways. The commercial strip of Wagga stretched from the Murrumbidgee to the railway. Fitzmaurice Street remained an important precinct. A new type of store emerged, the ‘emporium’. These one stop shops opened from the 1860s, such as Edmonson’s, the Victoria Store and Hunters. Emporiums stocked an array of fashion, sporting goods, instruments, jewellery and many other items.

Then, as now, Fitzmaurice Street is a place to stroll, shop, catch up with friends and enjoy a calmer pace of life. Written by Sam Leah