Time is a flat circle: Don Stewart, Tom Bunning, and John Scott farewelling the old Charles Street Bunnings Bros office. From Jenny Mill’s book The Timber People and courtesy of WA Newspapers.

AFTER seeing our story of Bunnings’ plan to move into the Pickle District, Andrew Main informs us this actually marks the hardware company’s return to their home patch.

The Bunning brothers came to WA in 1886 and purchased their first saw mill, and “Bunning Bros” became incorporated in 1907. 

The next generation of Bunnings sons expanded the timber business to start selling building supplies too and became a public company in 1952, operating out of the West Perth area south of Newcastle Street that’s now known as the Pickle District.

Mr Main writes “I thought it was quite interesting that Bunnings used to operate in that area,” with its head office at 49-61 Charles Street which later became part of the Freeway area.

“They opened their first hardware store at number 63-71 Charles Street in the 1950s, having bought a factory next door that was owned by a company called Felton, Grimwade and Bickford.”

Today there’s little trace of the birthplace of the international hardware giant, but a small pond just south of the district is known as “Bunning Lake”.

If you know any interesting historical tidbits about town get in touch via news@perthvoice.com