In 2013 ‘Lowest prices are just the beginning…’ was still front and centre on their brand new stores.

But by 2018 they had added a cheeky ‘Our Policy’ disclaimer in front of it.

And then in 2021 they got out the paint brushes.

Painting it over.

Until it was gone.

Turns out the slogan was quietly dropped in early 2020 – from news.com.au.

It’s one of the most well-known and high profile advertising slogans from one of Australia’s most loved retailers – but not for much longer.

Bunnings is quietly pulling the pin on its famous tagline.

“Lowest prices are just the beginning …” is, well, ending. At least for now.

The home improvement giant has confirmed to news.com.au the slogan has been slowly removed from the side of its stores, uniforms and its advertising.

Bunnings confirmed to news.com.au the slogan had vanished from TV screens and the airwaves last month and was progressively being painted over on stores, where it has been seen for 25 years. New stores built since 2018 haven’t sported the tagline.

Footnote

In October 2021 a print advertisement in the Adelaide Advertiser happened to reinstate the ‘Lowest prices are just the beginning’ line.

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Regional Rail Link

We start the month like many others, with progress on the Regional Rail Link project through Melbourne’s west.

The old West Footscray station was still in place beneath ‘Mount Mistake‘.

But the new station to the west was well underway.

Being constructed clear of the existing tracks to avoid disruption to Sunbury line services.

Down the line at Sunshine similar thoughtful works were underway – the level crossing at Anderson Road had been relocated clear of the grade separation works.

So that the future rail bridge could be constructed clear of the tracks, and slid into place when complete.

Meanwhile on the greenfield section of the route, the new Tarneit station had everything in place except for tracks!

Ballan Road had a road bridge passing over an incomplete rail cutting.

Wyndham Vale had pedestrian bridge ready to cross a future four track, four platform station.

And Manor Junction had a massive flyover in place over the Geelong line tracks, but with nothing connecting at either end.

Other train bits

One evening I passed through Newmarket station and found it in the dark – a tree took out the mains power supply to the station.

So somewhat surprisingly, electricians were sent out to connect a generator to the switchboard.

After sitting empty for a decade, in 2013 work finally started on the office towers above the west end of Southern Cross Station.

699 Bourke Street at the north end was first to be completed in 2015, followed by 664 Collins Street at the south end in 2019.

I also paid a visit to Dandenong South, where I found something different sitting dumped beside the tracks.

Comeng carriages 305M, 1003T and 306M stored in the Membreys Transport yard, after being damaged in the November 2012 level crossing crash at Abbotts Road in Dandenong South.

Ding ding

Preparation for the introduction of the new E class trams was underway on route 96, with the inaccessible safety zones along Nicholson Street being extended so the rear doors of the longer trams would not overhang into traffic.

This interim fix remained in place until 2018, when they were finally replaced by accessible platform stops.

And the other bits

On Swanston Street in the CBD I found the Victoria Police bicycle squad on patrol.

But they didn’t seem to be making much of a difference to the dingbats driving down the bike lanes.

Out at Maribyrnong a brand new two-storey Bunnings Warehouse opened – the $45 million store being located around the corner from the old one at Highpoint, and at more than 17,000 square metres, was three times the size of the old one.

And around the corner at West Footscray another Bunnings Warehouse was being constructed – on the former Southern Can Company factory site, with the front office block retained, but the warehouse being being demolished to make way for a hardware store with basement car park.

Footnote

Here you can find the rest of my ‘photos from ten years ago‘ series.

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Birth

A decade ago I was in the empty streets of an industrial estate south of Caroline Springs, where a new Bunnings Warehouse store was taking shape.

The iconic grand entrance was there.

But inside there wasn’t a floor.

Just rebar waiting a concrete pour.

By 2014 the streets of the industrial estate were starting to fill up.

Google Street View

And by 2020 Bunnings had disappeared behind a sea of tilt-slab concrete.

Google Street View

Death

While on Millers Road in Altona North was an unlucky Bunnings Warehouse store.

Locked up and ready to be demolished.

Replaced by a brand new $47 million, 17,000-square metre store next door.

And rebirth

Out on High Street in Epping I found a familiar green shed, but it was no longer a Bunnings Warehouse – but a furniture store.

Bunnings moved to a new site on Cooper Street in late 2015.

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Google Street View, September 2016

With trees flanking the rows of parking.

Google Maps, July 2016

But as part of the 2017 expansion of the store, every tree in the car park was chopped down.

Google Street View, December 2017

And for what – parking bays running in a different direction.

Google Maps, October 2018

The sole improvement to the car park being the addition of a pedestrian crossing between Ballarat Road and the store entrance.

John Hedditch, former City of Brimbank mayor, had this to say on the outcome.

The Planning laws allow this to occur. Bunnings planted new little trees with a watering system and guess what they are still little trees. The planning laws are the problem. That Bunnings is a big local supplier of garden products and environmentally friendly ones at that and still does this is another matter altogether. Don’t worry it was made an issue at the time and we met with Bunnings to try and get a good environmental outcome. We failed. The picture speaks a thousand words.

Footnote

Sunshine was the first ‘big box’ Bunnings Warehouse store in Australia – opened in August 1994 by Jeff Kennett. I guess I’ll have to wait another 20 years for the tress in the car park to grow.

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