{"product_id":"motor-garage-bendigo-victoria-australia","title":"The Bendigo Taxi-cab \u0026 Motor Garage, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia","description":"\u003cp data-start=\"2\" data-end=\"475\"\u003eCaptured at the corner of High and Short Streets in Bendigo around 1920, this photograph documents a pivotal moment in Bendigo's history, when the motor car was beginning to reshape everyday life. Standing proudly beside his vehicle is a driver infront of the \"Bendigo Taxi-Cab and Motor Garage\", Catling \u0026amp; Roberts, proprietors. At a time when many residents still relied on horses and carts, motor vehicles represented speed, modernity and a glimpse into the future.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"480\" data-end=\"1066\"\u003eThe site had already become an important part of Bendigo's growing automotive industry. Newspaper reports show that a taxi-cab company began operating from the premises in 1911, providing one of the city's earliest organised motor transport services. The business later expanded into a full service motor garage, offering vehicle hire, repairs, body building, painting, storage and mechanical work. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAdvertisements of the era proudly promoted the garage as operating day and night, supplying motorists with everything from tyres and accessories to some of the latest American motor cars. \u003cspan\u003eHowever, the company's history was not without controversy. In 1912, local auctioneer J.H. Leinhop successfully sued the Bendigo Taxi-Cab and Motor Garage Company after discovering that employees had allegedly been using his privately stored motor car without permission. The court awarded $5 of damages against the company, providing a rare glimpse into the challenges and growing pains of the early motor industry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1071\" data-end=\"1499\"\u003eLooking closely at the photograph, it is easy to imagine the scene that once unfolded here. The driver may have been waiting for a fare, preparing for a touring trip through central Victoria or delivering passengers arriving in Bendigo by train. For many locals, a ride in a motor taxi would have been a rare and exciting experience. The streets were quieter, the roads rougher, and every passing motor car attracted attention.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1504\" data-end=\"1794\"\u003eThe garage remained a fixture of Bendigo's motor trade for decades. In 1938, newspaper reports recorded a small petrol explosion at the premises, a reminder of the hazards associated with the early automotive industry. Fortunately, the damage was minor and the business continued operating.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-start=\"1799\" data-end=\"2160\" data-is-last-node=\"\"\u003eMore than a century later, this image survives as a remarkable record of Bendigo's transition into the motor age. What appears at first glance to be a simple portrait of a man and his car is, in reality, a snapshot of a changing world one where new technology, local enterprise and the excitement of modern transport were transforming regional Victoria forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Lumirra Collective","offers":[{"title":"A4 \/ Print Only","offer_id":53884166013294,"sku":null,"price":219.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 \/ Natural","offer_id":53884166046062,"sku":null,"price":329.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 \/ Black","offer_id":53884166078830,"sku":null,"price":329.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 \/ White","offer_id":53884166111598,"sku":null,"price":329.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 \/ Print Only","offer_id":53884166144366,"sku":null,"price":309.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 \/ Natural","offer_id":53884166177134,"sku":null,"price":469.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 \/ Black","offer_id":53884166209902,"sku":null,"price":469.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A3 \/ White","offer_id":53884166242670,"sku":null,"price":469.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A2 \/ Print Only","offer_id":53884166275438,"sku":null,"price":459.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A2 \/ Natural","offer_id":53884166308206,"sku":null,"price":698.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A2 \/ Black","offer_id":53884166340974,"sku":null,"price":698.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A2 \/ White","offer_id":53884166373742,"sku":null,"price":698.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A1 \/ Print Only","offer_id":53884166406510,"sku":null,"price":699.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A1 \/ Natural","offer_id":53884166439278,"sku":null,"price":998.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A1 \/ Black","offer_id":53884166472046,"sku":null,"price":998.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A1 \/ White","offer_id":53884166504814,"sku":null,"price":998.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"A0 \/ Print Only","offer_id":53884166537582,"sku":null,"price":998.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0907\/3875\/3902\/files\/BendigoMorot-1.jpg?v=1780831341","url":"https:\/\/lumirracollective.com\/products\/motor-garage-bendigo-victoria-australia","provider":"Lumirra Collective","version":"1.0","type":"link"}