RMRS History

Founded in 1876, Richard Mitchell & Co of Adelaide became the largest privately owned furniture removals business in Australia operating 40 vehicles as well as owning substantial storage and terminal buildings in the South Australia capital.

The Company first entered the Territory scene in 1952 by successfully tendering to move furniture from Adelaide to Darwin for the Hotel Darwin.

Next Orlando Wines (Gramps) consigned a large quantity of a new product, a sparking wine, known as Barossa Pearl, to Darwin via the Mitchell Service and the load arrived undamaged, despite the 'goat track' condition of the Stuart Highway north of Port Augusta. Then other wine companies began sending their products in Richard Mitchell vans and the South Australian Brewing Company followed suit with consignments of West End beer.

Business continued to boom for Mitchells, with the result that the company opened its own branch offices in Darwin in 1959 and Alice Springs in 1960.

In 1960 the decision was made to use Commonwealth Railways' 'piggyback' service from Port Augusta to Alice Springs. The vans were carried on railway flat-top wagons and the drivers travelled on the trains.

(The Old and the Bold)

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