The Guildford Store once again faces an unpredictable future
At the crossroads in Guildford, the general store has long been where the town comes together. Its shelves may be empty for now, but the converted stables at the rear still draw locals for wood-fired pizza, a reminder that the 160-year-old property remains part of daily life in the central Victorian town.
The Guildford General Store at 1 Templeton Street has been listed for sale by the estate of Norma Hancock, who saved the town’s beacon from the chopping block in 2024. The local icon sadly passed away earlier this year, prompting her family to make the difficult decision to sell.
Selling agent Michael Cantwell of Cantwell Property Castlemaine says the building had always been more than a place to buy essentials.
“Traditionally, it has been the central hub of the town. It has been known over the years for its pastries, sandwiches, cakes and coffee, but really it is that central hub where people within Guildford would meet,” he explains.
Strong community ties
The building began life as the Commercial Hotel in 1865, serving miners and travellers during the gold rush around the Loddon River. In 1916 it was converted into a shop after a fire destroyed the town’s earlier store. The business remained locally owned and run for generations, operating as a cafe, bakery, grocer and informal meeting place for the town.
When its previous owners closed the store in March 2024, residents began trying to buy it as a co-operative. The campaign showed what the building meant to a community of about 330 people, but it had not secured enough support by the time the property went to auction that August.
Hancock, then 89, changed the outcome. Her grandson encouraged her to bid when the auction stalled, and she bought the property as the sole bidder for $710,000. A former ballet dancer and orchardist who had also worked for a company selling lighting equipment to the entertainment industry, Hancock told the ABC at the time that buying the store “beats sitting around on my bottom for all the years I have left”.
Hancock and her family reopened the general store and brought activity back to the property with a renovation including a pizza restaurant in the old stables.
“The family certainly injected new life into the building,” Cantwell says. The rear venue, with its wood-fired oven, exposed brickwork and courtyard, continues to operate with a chef while the family seeks a buyer for the freehold.
The general store closed in February after Hancock’s illness made it impossible to continue.
“The general store itself has closed but is ready to operate today – it just needs a new owner,” says Cantwell.
A solid foundation
The property has 388 square metres of floor space on about 1448 square metres of land and has an indicative price of $1.195 million.
Inside, the main shop retains pine floorboards, old boxed shelving, solid plaster walls and 3.7-metre ceilings. A private dining room has an open fireplace, while two commercial kitchens, a cellar, a cool room and a transferable liquor licence support its popular hospitality operation. The accommodation includes three rooms arranged as owner’s quarters, plus a self-contained one-bedroom space in the stables building.
The property spans two titles and includes a large private green space that the listing says could support more outdoor dining or future development, subject to council approval. Solar power, a barn, a carport and open parking are also included.
Cantwell says the likely buyer was an owner-operator rather than a passive investor, and someone with a passion for small towns like Guildford.
“As a straight investment, it probably does not really stack up. It is a lifestyle choice, somebody wanting to live in the property and run the general store. Then they have also got the support of the income from the pizza business.”
That combination may suit a hospitality operator looking for a regional destination within reach of Melbourne. Guildford is about 11 minutes from Castlemaine, 18 minutes from Daylesford and a little over 90 minutes from inner Melbourne. At the town’s central intersection, the store faces the pub, with the town hall and football club on the other corners. Nearby is Guildford’s “Big Tree”, a river red gum that has become another local landmark.
Cantwell hopes the next owner will preserve the role Hancock worked to restore. “It would be very sad if it were turned into something else,” he says. “The vendors and the town are hoping it will continue operating as is.”
