100 Things To Do You’ve Never Heard Of #084 Twirl a Brolly from a Previous Century

Don’t be surprised to find yourself singing in the rain after you’ve bought one of the gorgeous retro umbrellas at the Old Umbrella Shop in Launceston. The unusual and antiquated shop in George St was built in the 1860s from Tasmanian blackwood and is the last original store of the Victorian age in Tasmania.

“A WONDER WORLD STORY IN THE MAKING. I WISH I’D KNOWN ABOUT THIS PLACE TEN YEARS AGO!” – Catriona Rowntree 

The three generations that have been running it from 1900 – and all other previous owners – have maintained the genuine Victorian style so that you can still buy National Trust, typical and unique Tasmanian goods as well as a variety of umbrellas used during the past century. Even if you prefer spiffy modern umbrellas, it’s bewitching to just observe the pretty display and stroll through the Victorian shopping atmosphere. Step inside this neat boutique and take a journey back into the rainy old days.

WHERE // 60 George St, Launceston City, Tasmania, (03) 6331 9248.

DID YOU KNOW? // Old umbrellas aside, it’s now possible to purchase brollies that have a talking function in order to provide weather forecasts on demand. (What next? Talking surfboards that track the swell?)