The whole town garage sale held on Sunday, September 22, turned the town of Donald into a busy shopping centre for astute bargain hunters, and allowed many residents to make a dollar or two from selling unwanted items. 

As the saying goes: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” and the numerous garage sales held in Donald at the weekend seemed like a great big, marvelous treasure hunt, with just about everything you could ask for on offer – you name it, you could probably find it.

There were household items, furniture, electrical goods, clothing and accessories, toys, exercise equipment, pet supplies, building materials, tools, sporting equipment and so much more to seduce the savvy shoppers, who hit the streets of Donald for the day.

Forty-four houses

A total of forty-four houses were involved with the Donald 2000 initiative along with more than a dozen businesses open for trade and six stalls set up on the lawn outside the VRI Hall.

These stalls and car boot sales allow for residents who live out of town to be included in the shopping event, as well as some young entrepreneurs who had set up home-made lemonade and cake stalls to boost their pocket money income.

A sausage sizzle was set up at the VRI Hall as well, supporting the Good Feed, and providing tired shoppers with a place to relax and refuel their bodies before browsing for the next bargain.

Visitors

The whole town garage sale, usually held on Father’s Day, was once again a successful enterprise despite the change in date.

Shoppers were even enticed from further afield, staying in the local motels overnight. People attended from as far as Mildura, Horsham, Stawell, Warracknabeal, Ballarat, Bendigo, Cobram and Jeparit, as well as neighbouring towns.

Whether you are a shopper looking for a bargain, or a seller hoping to make some money from unwanted items, the whole town garage sale is definitely something Donald residents can get behind each year.

See all the pictures in the issue.
This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 27 September 2024.