Before Springett’s Arcade was a landmark, a meeting place or a shortcut between coffees, it was a family dream built on grit, generosity and four extraordinary brothers.
The Springett story begins long before the first shopfront ever opened in Bowral. It traces back to the Mudford family’s arrival to Australia in 1859, their heartbreak and resilience on the Southern Highlands land, and eventually the marriage of Mary Ann Mudford to a determined railway man, Henry Louis Springett.
Together they built a life of hard work, hospitality and service that would shape Bowral for the next century.
Their four sons, Tony, Harry, Ted and Bob grew up surrounded by the bustle of baking, bottling, deliveries and community chatter. Each brother would go on to leave their own unmistakable mark on the town:
- Anthony Louis (Tony) helped steer the business through major transitions, including the bold arcade rebuild
- Ronald Henry (Harry) became a civic leader who served as Mayor for a record-breaking 11 years.
- Albert Edward (Ted) was the ideas man; a magician, musician, entrepreneur and the mind behind some of Bowral’s most innovative ventures.
- Robert Earnst (Bob) contributed through sport, clubs and community leadership, helping deepen the family’s roots throughout the Highlands.
As Bowral changed across the decades, the Springett’s adapted. From ballrooms, bakeries and hand-packed sponge cakes to chilled deliveries, Passiona bottling, Ice Works, the Hot Canary supermarket and eventually the arcade we walk through today.
Through war, petrol shortages, deep winters, good years and hard ones, the family kept showing up. Working, serving and creating spaces where locals could meet, celebrate and belong.
More than a commercial story, this is a family story of love, risk, resilience and an unshakeable belief that community comes first.
Today, every step through Springett’s Arcade is a walk through their legacy.
The tiled floors, the shopfronts, the piano that once filled the air with weekend music, they all echo the values the brothers lived by: “The harder we work, the luckier we get.”
100 years on, Bowral still carries the imprint of their vision, not just in bricks and businesses, but in the way people feel when they walk through the doors: connected, welcomed, at home.
2026 marks a year-long celebration of the Springett family’s legacy. Discover their story through postcards, articles, community events and a centenary keepsake book.
Left to Right: “Springett Delivery van” Circa 1930s, War’s End: Louis Springett (one with foot on vehicle) takes family and friends on an outing, Main street Bowral. Photos supplied courtesy of the Springett Family.
